TVBEurope talks to Pixomondos Alex Webster about the companys plans for London, why producers are still not sure about virtual production, and why technology is a creative endeavour in its own right
By Jenny Priestley
Published: May 5, 2022
TVBEurope talks to Pixomondo's Alex Webster about the company's plans for London, why producers are still not sure about virtual production, and why technology is a creative endeavour in its own right
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
The past couple of years has seen an explosion of interest in virtual production. Thanks to projects such as The Mandalorian and The Batman, more and more producers of content ranging from commercials to feature films are looking at using the new technology.
In the UK and Europe, this increase in interest is also driving the development of new studio facilities. Among the companies looking to open their own Volume stage in London is Pixomondo, which already has virtual production stages in both Toronto, used by Star Trek: Discovery, and Vancouver in Canada.
Last year Pixomondo brought Alex Webster on board to oversee its new London operation. As well as working on the virtual stage, the London team has recently added previs to its list of creative services.
Since we launched we've kind of been running three streams in parallel, Webster tells TVBEurope. One of which is the traditional pre-production stuff, so Maya-based previs and techvis, and that allows us to visualise and plan those kinds of projects.
At the same time, we're developing a similar pipeline toolset using Unreal Engine to be able to really blend the agile virtual production tools such as virtual scouting, virtual camera, motion capture, performance capture photogrammetry all into a previs pipeline so that we can make that process interactive, and leverage everything which is great about Unreal 5. Our third stream is the planning, building, implementation and then operation of our first LED Volume, which mirrors what has been established as the foundation of our model in Toronto and Vancouver where we've got three volumes, and my remit is to set up our first one in London.
Having joined the company as the sole London staff member, Webster has now grown the company to 15 with a core team of supervisors, lead artists, pipeline TDs, IT administrators etc, that he says represent the very best of the London industry. I've been able to pull together this fantastic team spearheaded by Matt Perrin, who is a very experienced previs supervisor who I've worked with previously at Framestore, and he comes with decade's worth of experience working with Marvel and Disney.
Alex Webster There's a very thin but highly skilled group of practitioners in London who are exceptional at what they do, and then there's quite a vacuum underneath that, he continues. We've been fortunate in that we've been able to recruit some very skilled, talented people with credible experience of having worked in virtual production on meaningful projects and are adept when it comes to working in Unreal Engine specifically. What we're seeing as well is there's a huge level of interest from the next generation of young artists coming through, who are motivated and want to get into virtual production. They're learning Unreal because it's so democratic, and there isn't a barrier to entry. It's free software, which is extraordinary, really.
Webster says he was determined not to launch the new previs services until the London team had a robust enough toolset and pipeline to be able to meet clients' expectations. Over the last four or five months or so our supervisors have been working with our pipeline team to develop a toolset which we have proven over that time, he explains. They've been taking dummy projects and running them through a process to see where the pain points are and make sure that it can deliver.
We've got this rare opportunity where we are starting something essentially from scratch at a point where technology is evolving at a pace unlike anything before, with new iterations of Unreal Engine being released every year. It's allowing us to take almost an umbrella look at the way that the industry is headed, the importance and the role of game engine technology in the filmmaking process, and to design a pipeline toolset which is really future focused and really pushing the interactive elements of that.
While the interest in virtual production continues to grow, Webster warns there's still a relatively small uptake for the technology because there's a fear factor involved and still something of a resistance, he says. Unless it's foundational in your thinking as to how you're going to approach a project and you're kind of building your schedule and methodology and crew around how to best leverage virtual production, what you often find is that the conversation starts too late in the production process, so a show will be up and running and in pre-production and they'll have just to brought a visual VFX supervisor on board and at that point production might want to start looking at a Volume shoot for a couple of sequences, which really comes too late in the in the process.
Instead, Webster believes virtual production should be considered at a production's inception so that the virtual production team can work alongside production design and the camera unit right from the outset, which leads to something incredibly powerful, he states.
From my own experience, having being on set and seeing the the qualitative aspects of virtual production, for actors to be able to shoot in context of an environment, for a director to be able to see the actors in context of the background and not against a green screen and for an
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
TVBEurope talks to Pixomondos Alex Webster about the companys plans for London, why producers are still not sure about virtual production, and why technology is a creative endeavour in its own right
