Virtual production comes to Amsterdam Studios (photo: Nathan Reinds)
The Netherlands - A prominent player in the world of LED displays and audio-visual productions as well as part of the NEP Worldwide Network, Faber Audiovisuals, hosted a virtual production demo at Amsterdam Studios at the end of February.
As part of the event, Brompton Technology was invited to present its HDR (High Dynamic Range) solution on LED screens set up as greenscreen replacements for film and TV. Enabled by Brompton’s Dynamic Calibration technology, HDR delivers images that appear ‘perceptibly sharper, more vivid, detailed and lifelike’.
Though the use of LED screens in film has been slowly increasing over the past decade, the advances in resolution, brightness and colour range (HDR) coupled with the growing affordability of these technologies in the last couple of years have made LED screens an increasingly attractive option for both high profile productions and more budget conscious applications alike. LED screens on camera can now provide immersive, realistic backdrops to filming. Shooting sets “live” in this way can also help to lessen the cost and time previously dedicated to post-production VFX work.
As part of their event, Faber Audiovisuals demonstrated Virtual Production (VP) as a new production process that merges physical objects, such as actors and real-world camera movements, into real-time CGI. They also showcased rendering solutions and the process of VP to create a digital world: beginning with the inception of the idea and ending with the final visual effects (VFX), centred around the real-time interaction on set.
Jasper Reijgers from Faber Audiovisuals explains how this new production process dramatically shifts the original way of filmmaking: “Essentially, the order of production is no longer in order,” says Reijgers. “The emphasis is now on pre- and on-set production, and VFX is no longer considered post-production. Real-time rendering helps support this new methodology and film production now includes everything from shooting to script adjustments to editing - all happening at the same time and in a controlled environment like a studio.”
The event was attended by over 200 guests, including VFX supervisors, directors of photography, content designers, directors and VFX/post-production companies, as well as broadcast production companies and large streaming services.
Brompton deployed a complete set-up for the event, which included a three-year old ROE Black Onyx 2.8mm LED screen that had been re-calibrated with Brompton’s new Hydra advanced measurement system, which is custom designed for use with LED panels fitted with a Brompton Tessera R2 receiver card.
“With the panels being recalibrated with Hydra, we ensured that the HDR content could be shown with higher contrast ratios, deeply saturated colours, and true-to-life colour accuracy,” notes Dries Vermeulen, business development manager Europe at Brompton Technology. “This resulted in beautiful, exceptionally realistic looking video footage, which proved just how effective immersive LED screens can be in filmmaking.”

Latest Issue. . .