VP Land New Territory Media

In this episode of VP Land, Aaron Gordon from Synapse VP and David Long from RIT dive into the current state and future of virtual production. Learn about the challenges of LED stage design, how they're teaching virtual production, and how emerging tech like AI will impact filmmaking.

RIT | Certified
Get Certified in Virtual Production 
http://ntm.link/RITcertified

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https://ntm.link/vp_land

📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES

This indie sci-fi film used miniatures
https://youtu.be/n9FnPxlra-I

Inside the ZEISS CinCraft Scenario & Nano Primes
https://youtu.be/4nnkkR34WwY

This music video tested out every new piece of filmmaking gear
https://youtu.be/vFFqiyU2wUY


Connect with David @ RIT:
Website - https://www.rit.edu/magic
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RITMAGIC
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ritmagiccenter
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ritmagic
David @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidllong

Connect with Aaron @ Synapse VP:
Website - https://www.synapsevp.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/synapse-vp
David @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-gordon-os


David Long is Director of the RIT Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction & Creativity (MAGIC) and MAGIC Spell Studios. David joined the faculty of the School of Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2007, where he also serves as an Associate Professor for the motion picture science program.  His research interests at RIT include engineering multispectral video capture and display systems, studying variability in human color vision for artistic applications, and modeling sensory perception of motion media.

Aaron Gordon is the founder and CEO of the forward-looking technology innovation firm, Optic Sky Productions. Aaron built a global team of award-winning directors, digital artists, storytellers, producers, and creative technologists that has reaped double & triple-digit growth each year. He has also dedicated much of his focus into education and helped nurture the next generation of filmmakers by positioning them in the bleeding edge technologies our industry is undoubtedly moving toward. 

Toward that end, Optic Sky partnered with Rochester Institute of Technology to create one of the first Virtual Production curriculums in the country.

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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES

RIT MAGIC Center
https://www.rit.edu/magic/

Synapse VP
https://www.synapsevp.com/

RIT MAGIC Spell Studios
https://vimeo.com/user172407267

College of Art and Design at RIT
https://www.youtube.com/@CollegeofArtandDesignatRIT

Visit vp-land.com for the complete show notes.

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00:00 Intro 
01:48 David Long's backstory and RIT
06:25 Aaron Gordon's backstory
09:07 Designing RIT's VP curriculum
12:35 The Synapse VP stage
17:59 Transferable skills in VP
19:07 RIT's immersion course and curriculum
24:46 Technical skills for cinematographers
28:38 Scanning and photogrammetry
31:25 Color challenges in VP
36:12 AR/VR in virtual production 
41:20 Photogrammetry, NeRF, and 3D scanning
58:35 AI in virtual production
01:05:25 Outro

In this episode of VP Land, we dive into the world of sci-fi and indie production with Steve Dabal, co-founder of the production house The Family. Steve shares his experience working on the indie sci-fi rom-com, Molli and Max in the Future, and how the filmmakers overcame budget constraints with creative solutions.

📧 GET THE VP LAND NEWSLETTER 
Subscribe for free for the latest news and BTS insights on video creation 2-3x a week: 
https://ntm.link/vp_land

📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES

Inside the ZEISS CinCraft Scenario & Nano Primes
https://youtu.be/4nnkkR34WwY

This music video tested out every new piece of filmmaking gear
https://youtu.be/vFFqiyU2wUY

The CPU Powering The Creator, Pixar, and Virtual Production [AMD's James Knight]
https://youtu.be/F-4bJaOaYlc

Connect with Steve @ The Family:
Website - https://www.stevedabal.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stevewithav
Twitter - https://twitter.com/SteveDabal
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedabal
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/stevedabal
Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/dabal
IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4288461

The Family
Website - https://thefamily.tv
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thefamilybts
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@the_family
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/family

Molli and Max in the Future
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/molliandmax/


Steve is an independent film director with a background in visual effects, working with brands (Google, Adidas, Paypal, NFL, etc.) and artists (Joey Bada$$, T-Pain, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Tree, etc.)

As the co-founder and creative director of the Family in New York City, he has grown a small art collective into a full service production house creating digital and physical artworks. It is proudly artist owned and operated.

His work has been recognized at festivals around the world (SXSW, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Clusterfest, New York Film Festival) and he has spoken about using technology for storytelling at SIGGRAPH, Infocomm, Dior, SVA, Villa Albertine, etc.

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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES

BTS - Molli and Max in The Future
https://www.instagram.com/molliandmax/

Molli and Max in The Future Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFmVkgxveA

Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 Hands-on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzJUcdYQBj8

Tilt Brush: Painting from a new perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TckqNdrdbgk

CNN Tech For Good BRAVEMIND PTSD VR Exposure Therapy 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ymmQ1kdZw&t=2s

3D virtual reality device for stroke rehabilitation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPcpn665O_s

Hello Apple Vision Pro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY4x85zqoJM&t=1s

A Guided Tour of Apple Vision Pro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb0dG-2huJE&t=203s

Cuebric
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK6HndLX7wg

The Blackmagic Camera App Tutorial - iPhone Filmmaking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9nf7oE75TM

stYpe RedSpy
https://stype.tv

Disguise
https://www.disguise.one/en/solutions/virtual-production

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00:00 Intro
01:45 Steve Dabal's Background and The Family
03:42 How Molli and Max in the Future Started
07:10 VR and Storytelling Research
10:45 Learnings from Early VR Experiments
13:20 About Molli and Max in the Future
15:00 Prep and Production Process Timeline
21:00 Generating Plates and 3D Models
26:32 Color LUT Process for Backgrounds
28:28 Stage Hardware and Tracking
32:15 Tips for Indie Virtual Production
37:30 How Molli and Max Would Differ Today
39:53 Photogrammetry and NeRFs
43:08 Mobile Virtual Production Projects
48:55 AI as an Alternative to Virt

In this episode of VP Land, we dive into the ZEISS CinCraft Scenario with Nick Hayes and Tanner Grimshaw, a powerful camera tracking system for virtual production. 

📧 GET THE VP LAND NEWSLETTER 
Subscribe for free for the latest news and BTS insights on video creation 2-3x a week: 
https://ntm.link/vp_land

📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES

How GhostFrame is Creating Multiple Realities Simultaneously for Virtual Production
https://youtu.be/hDCHxS8pl1M

This music video tested out every new piece of filmmaking gear
https://youtu.be/vFFqiyU2wUY

The CPU Powering The Creator, Pixar, and Virtual Production [AMD's James Knight]
https://youtu.be/F-4bJaOaYlc

Connect with Tanner and Nick @ ZEISS:

ZEISS Cinematography - https://www.zeiss.com/cine
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ZEISSCinematography
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ZEISSCinematography
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zeisscinematography
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/zeiss-cinematography

Tanner @ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanner-grimshaw
Nick @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-hayes-7130b084

Tanner Grimshaw is a seasoned industry professional with over a decade of experience in the film & broadcast industry. Possessing a robust technical background and adept skill for troubleshooting, Tanner has supported a wide range of customers such as Netflix, Amazon Studios, NASA, Ross Video, Brainstorm, and numerous others.

Nick Hayes is an experienced sales professional in the Film, Television, and Broadcast industry. For the past 16 years, Nick has been employed by such technology leaders as: FOX Sports Network, RED Digital Cinema, Angenieux, Teradek, SmallHD, Wooden Camera, Ncam Technologies, and ZEISS Cinema. Nick has also worked 3 years as a Digital Media associate faculty member for Mt San Jacinto Community College and has an intimate knowledge of video production technology for cinema, broadcast, virtual production, and live event applications.

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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES

ZEISS Cinematography
https://www.zeiss.com/cine

ZEISS CinCraft Scenario
https://cincraft.zeiss.com

ZEISS Nano Prime Lenses
https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/int/cinematography/nano-prime-lenses.html

ZEISS CP.3 Lenses
https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/int/cinematography/compact-prime-cp-3-lenses.html

ZEISS Supreme Prime Lenses
https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/int/cinematography/supreme-prime-lenses.html

ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance Lenses
https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/int/cinematography/supreme-prime-radiance-lenses.html

ZEISS Cinema Showroom
https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/us/home/local/cinematography/cinema-showroom.html

ZEISS Nano Primes Review
https://www.cined.com/zeiss-nano-primes-review-supreme-look-for-the-rest-of-us/

Artificial Intelligence: Job killer or job creator?
https://youtu.be/I3lo1UmM4Dw

How AI Took Center Stage In The Hollywood Writers' Strike
https://youtu.be/eK9QWB1OOro

RED Digital Cinema
https://www.red.com

Ncam
https://www.ncam-tech.com

GhostFrame
https://youtu.be/hDCHxS8pl1M

ARRI
https://www.arri.com

Teradek
https://teradek.com

Intel RealSense
https://www.intelrealsense.com

NAB 2024
https://nabshow.com/2024

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00:00 Intro
01:58 Tanner's Background
03:07 ZEISS Acquisition of Ncam
03:48 Nick's Background
05:58 ZEISS CinCraft Scenario
10:46 Tracking with Digital Markers
12:33 Choosing the Best Tracking Method
18:10 Lens Integration & Calibration
22:57 The Camera Bar Placement & Offset
34:00 Choosing the Right Lens - Nano Prime/CP.3/Supreme/Radiance 
38:57 AI in the Film Ind

In this episode, we dive deep into the making of Project Chimera with Snehal Patel, a music video project that blends classical Indian dance with high-tech filmmaking.

We dive into:
‣ Working backward to figure out when virtual production is the right approach...and when it isn't
‣ Snehal's approach to integrating AI in storyboarding and 3D element generation for a futuristic cyberpunk Mumbai (and when AI didn't work out so well)
‣ The limitations and breakthroughs encountered during the film's production, like speeding up lens calibration to get over 100 setups in 2 days
‣ Using Kino Flo MIMIK lights, SISU camera robot, and more

And a whole lot more!


📧 GET THE VP LAND NEWSLETTER 
Subscribe for free for the latest news and BTS insights on video creation 2-3x a week: 
https://ntm.link/vp_land

📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES

The CPU Powering The Creator, Pixar, and Virtual Production [AMD's James Knight]
https://youtu.be/F-4bJaOaYlc

Fully Remote: Exploring PostHero's Blackmagic Cloud Editing Workflow
https://youtu.be/L0S9sewH61E

Imaginario: Using AI to speed up video search and editing
https://youtu.be/4WOb5Y1Qcp0

Connect with Snehal and Project Chimera:

Project Chimera - https://www.fearlessproductions.tv/project-chimera
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@fearlessproductionstv
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@fearlessproductions.tv
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fearlessproductions.tv
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fearlessproductions.tv
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fearless-productions

Snehal @ Twitter - https://twitter.com/snehalmp
Snehal @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/snehalmp

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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES

Music Video: Janaka Selekta - Piya (DnB Remix) ft. Alam Khan, Shrii, Sheela Bringi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxN3xrGlAnc

Check out vp-land.com for all the show notes for this episode.


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⏱ CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro
01:39 What is Project Chimera
02:56 Virtual production and AI in Project Chimera
04:10 The importance of planning and preparation
05:15 Collaborations and partnerships
07:02 Lighting in virtual production with Kino Flo MIMIK lights
09:31 Role of AI in Pre-production
10:00 ShotDeck
11:00 Concept and storyline of the video
13:20 Calibrating lenses and lens tracking with Fujinon Premista Zooms
15:15 Staging and lighting
17:15 Camera works with stYpe using Premista Zooms and RED Komodo
19:30 Lens calibration process with ZEISS and Ncam
21:15 Learning the principles of virtual production
24:25 Utilizing AI for mood boarding and world building
28:00 Collaborating with storyboard artists to create detailed storyboards
30:48 The Challenges of creating 3D environments
33:45 The Use of AI in meetings and communication with Fathom
35:15 Reflections on AI's Impact on filmmaking
36:40 Introduction and challenges with 3D scanning processes
37:30 Exploring scanning processes and technologies with DNE and Dengenuity Labs 
39:55 16 Komodo Cameras in the shoot
42:38 Volumetric 3D in the Shoot
44:00 Utilizing the SISU Cinema Robot
47:18 Post-production process with AI
52:50 Reflections on the budget and cost-saving measures
58:02 Final thoughts and acknowledgements
59:48 The potential for future cost reductions
01:04:38 Outro

James Knight, AMD's Global Director of Media and Entertainment, shares some behind-the-scenes insight into his vast history of working on some of the biggest films in Hollywood, from the original Avatar to Gareth Edwards' The Creator to Pixar's Elemental.

We also dive into:

‣ How AMD works with filmmakers and studios to push filmmaking technology forward
‣ Why virtual production is not just about GPUs
‣ Where AI tools fit into creative workflows

And a whole lot more!


📧 GET THE VP LAND NEWSLETTER 
Subscribe for free for the latest news and BTS insights on video creation 2-3x a week: 
https://ntm.link/vp_land

📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES

Inside Coffeezilla's '$10,000,000' Virtual Production Studio
https://youtu.be/FjAkmqJCbJY

Fully Remote: Exploring PostHero's Blackmagic Cloud Editing Workflow
https://youtu.be/L0S9sewH61E

Imaginario: Using AI to speed up video search and editing
https://youtu.be/4WOb5Y1Qcp0

Connect with James and AMD:

AMD - https://www.amd.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@amd
Twitter/X - https://twitter.com/AMD
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amd
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AMD
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@amd
James @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-knight-9a576
James @ IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2595922

James Knight is the Global Director of Media and Entertainment at AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). He leads a team that supervises alliances with Visual Effects, virtual production, video streaming, and post-production computing applications. Knight and his group also work directly with the world's most prominent studios, media brands, and sports and entertainment platforms. Knight's work spans over two decades in production, post-production, visual effects, and virtual production. He is a member of the Visual Effects Society (VES), a the British Academy of Los Angeles (BAFTA) where he served on the board from 2010-2016, and the Oscars/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES

Check out vp-land.com for all the show notes for this episode.

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⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
01:30 James Knight's Journey in Filmmaking
03:45 The Impact of Avatar on Virtual Production
07:40 The Virtual Production Umbrella
12:25 Flipping Post-Production and Previs
17:19 Evolution of Virtual Production
21:52 Technical Aspects of Virtual Production
25:00 CPU and GPU Working in Tandem
31:24 AMD's Role in The Creator
35:06 The Impact of AI on Film Production
40:01 AMD's Collaboration with Pixar for Elemental
48:12 The Role of AMD in Camera Technology
52:46 James' Thoughts on Approaching  AI
53:45 Outro

In this wide-ranging conversation with Michael Cioni, CEO of Strada, we talk about the future of media workflows, how AI will help us work faster, and why he decided to build his company in public.

📧 GET THE VP LAND NEWSLETTER 
Subscribe for free for the latest news and BTS insights on video creation 2-3x a week: 
https://ntm.link/vp_land


Connect with Michael & Strada:
Strada - https://strada.tech
YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/@Strada-Tech
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/strada.tech
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/strada-tech
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@strada.tech
Michael @ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcioni/


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📺 WATCH MORE VP LAND EPISODES

Inside Coffeezilla's '$10,000,000' Virtual Production Studio
https://youtu.be/FjAkmqJCbJY

Imaginario: Using AI to speed up video search and editing
https://youtu.be/4WOb5Y1Qcp0

Fully Remote: Exploring PostHero's Blackmagic Cloud Editing Workflow
https://youtu.be/L0S9sewH61E

🎧 LISTEN IN YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP
Apple Podcast: https://ntm.link/vs-apple
Spotify: https://ntm.link/vs-spotify
Overcast: https://ntm.link/vp-overcast

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📝 SHOW NOTES

Will we be filming less in a world with AI? A chat with Frame.io's Michael Cioni [NAB 2023]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjM1HO3Xghg

REDucation
https://www.red.com/reducation

Light Iron: A Panavision Company
https://www.panavision.com/post-production

HuggingFace
https://huggingface.co

Y Combinator
https://www.ycombinator.com

Remini
https://remini.ai

Evoto
https://www.evoto.ai

eMastered
https://emastered.com

RODE Mics
https://rode.com/en/microphones

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⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
01:40 Gen AI vs. UtilityAI
02:25 Overview of Strada
03:15 Four Ts of Strada (Transfer, Transcode, Transcribe, Tanalyze) 
08:50 Strada Stacks
09:50 Private Beta Launch Event
11:00 Consumer Technology vs. Professional Technology
14:00 Advanced AI Search and Virtual Folders
15:30 Bring-Your-Own Storage and Cloud Flexibility
26:50 Indexing and Duplicate Assets
28:55 Orchestration Layer and Timeline Visualization
30:30 Transcibe and Tanalyze (Tag & Analyze)
32:50 Unlimited Users and Pricing Flexibility
38:00 Strada as a Marketplace for AI Models
41:40 Integrating Strada with NLE
45:35 Documenting Strada's Journey on YouTube
53:15 Michael's Recommended AI Tools
53:35 Remini AI
54:40 Evoto
56:15 eMastered
57:15 Filling Skills Gap with AI
01:00:00 Michael's Thoughts on AI (NAB vs. now)
01:02:00 Limitations of Generative AI
01:04:40 AI as a Utility in Real-Life Productions
01:07:55 Potential of Mobile Filmmaking
01:12:45 Why Apple's Camera Technology is Impressive
01:19:20 Upcoming Launch and Roadmap 
01:20:10 Outro