After a 146-day strike that halted television and film production and threw the entertainment industry into crisis, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a tentative agreement on Sunday night. If guild members vote to accept the deal in the coming days, some 11,000 writers can finally return to work.
Though the WGA cannot discuss details of the deal “until the last ‘i’ is dotted,” most speculate that the agreement includes almost everything they wanted from studios, including increases in royalty payments for streaming content and assurances that artificial intelligence will not infringe on writers’ credits and compensation.
In a published memo to its members, the WGA negotiation committee said with great pride “that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
What does this mean for the SAG-AFTRA strike?
While the end of the writers’ strike comes as a relief to many, it doesn’t mean everyone returns to work as usual. With almost 160,000 Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members still on strike, the only shows restarting production soon will likely be late-night and daytime talk shows.
SAG-AFTRA members walked out in July over similar disputes relating to low pay, streaming residuals and AI, to name a few, and the group has no talks scheduled with studios yet.
In a statement released on their site after news of the tentative WGA deal, SAG-AFTRA applauded their counterparts for “incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity.” They also emphasized that the organization’s strike would continue, urging the “studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”
The WGA continues to support their acting counterparts, calling on their members to join SAG-AFTRA on picket lines this week. Many hope that the negotiations accomplished by the WGA will lay the groundwork for SAG-AFTRA to reach a resolution with studios quickly since it addresses many of the same concerns.
Studios are undoubtedly feeling the effects of the strikes, with stock prices for Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global having dropped and analysts estimating that studios will forgo as much as $1.6 billion in global ticket sales for movies pushed to next year. And while everyone in the entertainment industry collectively breathes a sigh of relief at this week’s progress, economists estimate that the dual strikes have cost the California economy roughly $5 billion.
What now?
This deal does not mean that the strike is over or that the entertainment industry can return to work immediately. Picketing has stopped, but contracts must be finalized. The WGA negotiating committee needs to vote; then their 11,000 members must accept the terms of the new agreement before the WGA strike is officially over.
In addition to the striking actors, more than 100,000 behind-the-scenes workers — including directors, camera operators, publicists, makeup artists, prop makers, set dressers, lighting technicians, hairstylists and cinematographers — will continue to stand idle, many with mounting financial hardship. Some A-list members of the Writers Guild pressed for a return to negotiations, citing the pressure on idled workers.
TV dramas and comedies will likely take the longest to come back because of the actors’ strike and the complicated logistics necessary to restart large-scale productions. Production will need to contact crew members and writing teams to resume, which might take some time if people have moved away from their filming locations, Variety reported. Shows will also need time to kick-start marketing campaigns so that audiences know to tune in.
The industry pivots
The implications of the record-breaking strikes are unclear, with many companies downsizing and out-of-work picketers having left the business for good. But viewers will still get the content they crave. Networks had already pivoted their fall programming to include international shows, game shows, documentaries, more sports and even a few new series and movies coming out this year. While it’s unknown how postponed projects will react to the news of the deal, with writers anxiously ready to get back to work, we wouldn’t be surprised if your favorites were back soon.
MediaSilo allows for easy management of your media files, seamless collaboration for critical feedback, and out-of-the-box synchronization with your timeline for efficient changes. See how MediaSilo is powering modern post-production workflows with a 14-day free trial.
So, you want to get your film or TV show on Netflix? Unfortunately, there’s no easy A-B-C blueprint to follow here, and the truth of the matter is it’s a tough task. However, don’t let this dissuade you from trying. It’s not impossible. At the end of the day, Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, and they’re always on the lookout for new content!
While the roadmap for each individual project making it onto Netflix is always going to be slightly different, there are certainly a few pointers and tips that you can follow to give yourself a far better chance of success. If you have a project in mind and a goal set, read on to find out how you can get that famous “tu-dum” playing at the start of your production.
Have a clear, concise vision in your pitch
First things first (and this goes for any production, not just the one you want to end up on Netflix) – you need to have a very clear vision. In the pitch for your film, you should be able to succinctly summarize what the film is about, who it’s made for, and where it should exist in a content library. Furthermore, why make this film right now? And why you? If these basic things aren’t nailed, you’re going to find pitching it to Netflix an even tougher job.
Additionally, as an extra little tip, you may even want to include a roadmap that builds your world and opens up the possibility of extending it in the future, assuming that makes sense for the project. Streaming companies like Netflix love to capitalize on the success of a first installment with follow-ups. It’ll be interesting to know how your world can be built and what the potential longevity is. Of course, if you’re pitching a limited series or a one-off documentary, this won’t be as relevant.
Is this your best work?
This pretty much goes without saying, but to even have the tiniest of chances of making it onto a streaming site as large as Netflix, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and your team. Is this the very best work you can produce? Nowadays, there’s so much great work, and the competition is tough—if this is anything less than the very best, you can forget about it. Even if it is, that may still not be enough.
Secondly, you need to ask if this stands out from the crowd. What makes your show or film so unique, and why should Netflix commission it? If you can’t answer these questions convincingly, you’ll need to circle back to the drawing board.
Find an aggregator
This is perhaps the most important tip we can give you when it comes to getting your film on Netflix. As you can imagine, there are many independent producers and filmmakers out there who would all love to have their film or show streaming on Netflix. If Netflix was to take pitches from everyone separately and independently, it would take so much time and effort that it simply wouldn’t be worth it.
Instead, Netflix only works with trusted third-party aggregators. On their website, you’ll find the following guidance when it comes to pitching ideas:
“If you have an idea, game, script, screenplay, or production already in development that you’d like to pitch to Netflix, you must work through a licensed agent, producer, attorney, manager, or industry executive, as appropriate, who already has a relationship with Netflix. We are unable to share references for these resources.
If you do not have any of these resources available, Netflix will be unable to accept your unsolicited submissions.”
In other words, an aggregator is absolutely essential. They meet with Netflix regularly to pitch ideas, and they know what the streaming platform is looking for. These aggregators are always on the lookout for the next big thing, so they will be the ones to hear your pitch and review your film. If they like it, they’ll pitch it to Netflix on your behalf and help you package it properly, taking care of all the details before final delivery to Netflix.
And how much does this cost? Well, it depends. Different aggregators use different pricing models, so there isn’t a universal, consistent figure for you to work with here. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect that most aggregators will charge at least $1,000 to get your film on Netflix, and there may well be further pitch fees, annual charges, or percentage cuts of any profit generated. Here’s an idea of what two aggregators cost:
Quiver Digital charges $1500 + $150 pitch fee + $75 annual charges (payable after 2 years)
Distribber charges $995 +$150 annual charges (payable after 1 year)
For help in finding an aggregator, you can explore a full list of “NPFP” partners here. These are elite companies that have met strict requirements to become a “Netflix Preferred Fulfillment Partner.”
Find an agent
Finding an aggregator isn’t the answer to everything, unfortunately. If you’re serious about getting your film on Netflix, hiring an agent can open a lot of doors for you. While aggregators are there to get your film onto Netflix with packaging and final delivery, you may be wondering how you get to meet an aggregator in the first place.
An agent who’s earned their access and credibility in the business can pull strings and arrange such meetings with potential buyers. They will offer their expertise on how to improve your pitch and help it stand out from the crowd, assist with marketing, and guide the development process to a successful conclusion. They also have their ear to the ground and meet with Netflix buyers regularly, so they know what the network is looking for.
Attach a big name
Love it or hate it, in this business, sometimes it really is all about “who you know.” One of the ways to give your film or show a fighting chance is to attach a “big name” to the project. If you can find a producer, an executive, or an actor who already has a great relationship and track record of working with Netflix, it’s undoubtedly going to help you out.
If this “big name” backs your project and comes on board, it signals to Netflix that you’re worth a shot. This person has the ability to pull in an audience and produce great work, and they’re willing to vouch for you and believe in your project!
Do your homework
With all of the above in mind, you need to do your homework. Catching the eye of a big name in the industry or finding the right aggregator and agent is not simple. If you want the best chance of finding the right fit and getting people on board with your film or TV show, you need to research who it is you should be targeting.
If you have a new German comedy aimed at Gen-Z, it might not make sense to be talking to an aggregator who specializes in groundbreaking historic documentaries. And vice versa. Instead of wasting your time aimlessly, invest in the time it takes to dig deep and find the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to say.
Network, network, network
How might you bump into these kinds of people? It isn’t going to happen sitting in front of your PC screen, sending out cold emails. You need to network in person and network hard. The good news is there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
Thankfully emerging from the other side of the pandemic, in-person events are back on. From pitching and film festivals to industry talks, networking events and casual social gatherings, there are many ways to rub shoulders and get your face seen and known throughout the year. In the case of pitching festivals, not only will you have the benefit of networking and potentially meeting the right person, but you’ll learn a lot about the industry and what it takes to build a great pitch. Both pitching and film festivals also present the possibility of meeting directly with Netflix personnel – they’ll be in attendance.
Social media helps
When it comes to networking and getting your face known (for the right reasons, of course), social media can certainly help out. You should keep an active presence online by sharing your latest work, getting involved with discussions in the industry and connecting with people in the business. If you happen to have a substantial following or are able to build one (we’re talking tens of thousands of followers/subscribers at minimum), then that can certainly pique the interest of Netflix. They like to know that you can bring an audience with you.
Working the social media angle can also help if you’re able to generate substantial social chatter and interest in your project. There’s a good case in hand happening right now, with Russell Cook (aka “Hardest Geezer”) currently attempting to be the first person to run the entire length of Africa. He’s been courting Netflix and generating a lot of chatter on Twitter and YouTube, so watch this space…
Getting your film or TV show streaming on Netflix isn’t easy. It’s a long, arduous process, and there will be many setbacks. In fact, our final piece of advice here would be to get comfortable with rejection. The word “no” doesn’t necessarily mean no forever; it just means not today.
Pretty much everyone in the industry starts off with a “no.” How you deal with this rejection is key. Try to build on it by taking feedback on board and understanding that you have to knock on thousands of doors before even one opens. Rejection and failure are part of the game. With perseverance, patience and the application of the advice you’ve read above, you can maneuver yourself and your project to be in the best possible position to get that famous “tu-dum” playing at the start of your show.
MediaSilo allows for easy management of your media files, seamless collaboration for critical feedback, and out-of-the-box synchronization with your timeline for efficient changes. See how MediaSilo is powering modern post-production workflows with a 14-day free trial.
EditShare®, a technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative media workflows, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Shift Media, a leading cloud-native video solution provider that helps creators manage, present, and collaborate on their high value projects. The combined business will operate as EditShare, with Shift Media’s well-known products – MediaSilo, Wiredrive, and Screeners.com – folding under the EditShare corporate brand.
Over the past several years, video creation has continued to accelerate in myriad industries globally, including entertainment, advertising, corporate communications, higher education, house of worship, and many more. Corresponding with this increase in content production, an explosion in video technology has occurred, leaving video professionals with an ever-growing, complicated stack of tools and vendors to integrate to get their jobs done effectively. The combination of EditShare and Shift Media will deliver a comprehensive, open solution that enables creative teams and content creators to seamlessly store, edit, collaborate, and share their content, whether they choose to work on-premise, in the cloud, or with a hybrid solution.
EditShare’s high-performance workflow focused product suite includes EFS media optimized shared storage and FLOW intelligent media management. In 2022, the company launched EditShare FLEX built on AWS, ensuring professional production and post companies can build remote and collaborative workflows that suit their creative and commercial needs.
Shift Media’s cloud-native, software-as-a-service solutions include MediaSilo, Wiredrive and Screeners.com. MediaSilo provides a video collaboration HQ, helping the biggest names in media get projects approved faster. Wiredrive helps commercial production companies and agencies quickly and easily create custom pitch materials and showreels. Screeners.com provides the industry standard virtual screening experience for press review and sales opportunities of high value pre-release content.
Ramu Potarazu, Shift Media’s CEO, will lead the combined company under the EditShare banner following the close of the transaction; current EditShare CEO Conrad Clemson will leave the business to pursue other opportunities. “The tireless work of Conrad and the EditShare team has put us in a position of strength for the future,” Potarazu said. “Shift Media was built on the principle that video workflow technology should be completely intuitive and customer friendly. EditShare and Shift Media are highly complementary businesses with market leading products and services and shared commitment to putting the power of video production in the hands of creators. As a combined company, we will create a one-stop shop with a more comprehensive range of products and global network of channel partners, enabling us to better meet our customer needs around the world.”
“Our two companies have very strong businesses and powerful product offerings,” said Stephen Tallamy, CTO of EditShare. “Together, we will be better positioned to deliver a powerful, comprehensive, and intuitive content management and collaboration offering to the broad middle market, which is where most of the industry sits.”
ParkerGale Capital and Marlin Equity Partners, previous backers of EditShare and Shift, respectively, will maintain their positions as primary investors and board members of the combined company. “I’m excited that Marlin Equity Partners and ParkerGale will continue to support the business,” said Potarazu. “Together, we are aligned on delivering cutting edge solutions in response to the stratospheric growth in video production and continued move towards flexible, collaborative on-premise, hybrid, and cloud workflows.”
For more information on all EditShare solutions, please visit the website at www.editshare.com. Information on MediaSilo, Wiredrive, and Screeners.com can be found at www.shiftmedia.io.
MediaSilo allows for easy management of your media files, seamless collaboration for critical feedback, and out-of-the-box synchronization with your timeline for efficient changes. See how MediaSilo is powering modern post-production workflows with a 14-day free trial.
With nearly 200 worldwide events and tournaments every year, each demanding massive amounts of data, our client in global action sports has no time for spotty platform performance or delays. Filming extreme sporting events results in dozens of terabytes of video content. These assets include once-in-a-lifetime record-breaking moments used in live streams, social and web content, and highlight packages on both owned channels and with media partners. This content keeps their 7.3 million social media fans up-to-date on the athletes they love and, in turn, increases engagement, brand loyalty and profits. When you’re distributing footage of a world-class athlete making history with a flawlessly performed stunt, a gap in content is not an option. They needed a reliable, secure solution that fit into their existing pipeline, integrated with their production applications and kept track of multiple revisions.
Wiredrive features comprehensive and intuitive analytics reporting.
Frustrated over the lack of a standard content management system and platform, the Head of Post Production for the property contacted Shift Media for a solution. They had hundreds of users needing a standardized workflow. Confusion and lack of consistency between key video production stakeholders caused by disparate file management systems were tremendous problems. The fact that they held events worldwide only added a layer of difficulty to their existing workflow, with unreliable internet connections and services making the distribution of assets back and forth to the United States incredibly challenging and time-consuming.
Secure media sharing for marketing teams, agencies and production companies.
They required performance at the highest level, and Wiredrive delivered. The solution allowed for the management of all work-in-progress and finished assets from one common collaboration hub. Handling file transfers globally with consistent coverage at all live events accelerated delivery timelines, making assets available to the entire global-wide team, who could download them instantly for upload to their website or social media channels. With a single platform, our customer replaced several solutions in asset management and content presentation while increasing their digital presence and driving the sport forward.
Wiredrive enabled them to simplify their media delivery workflow and eliminate the threat of missing deadlines, giving them peace of mind to focus on growing their global community and creating best-in-class stories for their audience.
Learn how Wiredrive can enable your creative process with a free 7-day trial.
We can all relate to this experience: You are looking for a particular photo, document, or video that you’ve saved somewhere on your computer.
You open one folder … then another … then another.
Was the file in the “website” folder? No, go back to the last one. Maybe you put it in the “July” folder because that’s when you shot the footage? Not there either.
If you are using a digital asset management system to store and organize all of your assets, then you already have a basic organization system in place. Despite this, your design team may still not be operating at its full potential, wasting valuable time hunting for files and juggling version control.
That’s where combining the use of projects and folders with tagging comes in, enhancing the overall organization and management of your digital assets.
How Tagging Enhances Digital Asset Organization
Here’s another example: What happens when you need to find your team’s electronic press kits stored in various projects? Or all photos of one specific product taken on different days for use in different campaigns?
If your projects and folders are stored in a cloud platform, such as Google Drive, your team can be left searching every folder for each account, struggling to make a general file management system work for your specialized digital asset needs.
That’s where a customized tagging system for digital asset management and design team collaboration can prevent a time-intensive hunt for your content. Instead, your team can use specific keywords to organize, tag, and quickly search for all of your assets.
Getting Started with Tagging
With the right tools and platform, it’s easy to implement tagging into your digital asset organization. Here’s how:
1. Make a plan.
Before you jump in and start adding tags to all of your files, it’s important to map out a strategy. If you are dealing with a large number of files, or sharing a system that will be accessible to colleagues and collaborators, making a comprehensive plan is vital.
Start by thinking about the types of files you have in your account and how your projects are currently set up. This will help you determine what kind of categories your tags might fall under and where the gaps are in your current project and folder structure.
Depending on your specific workflow, here are some helpful ways to think about organizing your files.
Other examples of tags can include:
The status of an asset, such as “pre-production,” “production,” and “post-production”
The location where the photo or video was taken
The names of the actors or models appearing in the shot
A ranking system to note a director’s or editor’s favorite selections
The notation of “final” on a document that has gone through all revisions
The primary colors or shades appearing in an image
Whatever the tagging system, it has to work for you and your team so it remains consistent and continues to be used.
Retail or Brand Asset Management
There can also be tags specific to your industry. For example, if your company sells products directly to consumers online or in storefronts, a tag structure can include:
High-level tags: website, print, storefront, e-commerce, social media, model, packshot
More specific tags: product name, SKU number, seasonal campaign, model name, specific social platforms, primary colors
Media and Entertainment Production
Production companies working on film, television, or online video projects could use:
High-level tags: film or show name, scene number, date of production, director’s name, stage of production
More specific tags: location, take number, names of actors, director’s ranking
Advertising and Marketing Campaigns
Creative, production, or marketing teams that work on advertising campaigns with a variety of clients, brands, and products could use this structure:
High-level tags: logo, product name, specific campaign, brand or client name, date of production
More specific tags: primary colors, subjects, themes, specific social platforms, launch or release dates
2. Tag your assets.
Once you have a plan, document it, share it, and then start tagging!
Begin by uploading your content (videos, photos, audio, documents, and more) into your workspace and setting up a basic organization system. With MediaSilo, this process is easy; just create a new project with folders and individual assets inside each to suit your specific needs.
Once your content is uploaded, you can start adding tags immediately. Within MediaSilo, select any asset or multiple assets and open the right-side drawer. MediaSilo even allows your team to either tag assets individually or highlight and bulk-tag multiple items to quickly and efficiently label what you need after uploading.
3. Search for assets by tag.
Once all of your assets are tagged, use the global search in MediaSilo to drill down to exactly what you need without navigating through layers of folder tree structures.
Filters such as asset type (video, image, document), date uploaded, and who it was uploaded by add specificity to your search in conjunction with your added tags.
With MediaSilo, you can even create your own custom search by selecting a combination of search terms to find the specific assets you need in just a few clicks. You can also choose to save the search to use it again and again.
4. Share searchable asset libraries using MediaSilo’s Spotlight.
Looking to make your assets accessible outside of MediaSilo? Tagging can help with this process too.
With Spotlight, MediaSilo’s turnkey presentation builder, you can easily share projects, folders, or a curated playlist of assets in a branded, searchable asset library.
Either use a preset template with a built-in search bar or add the search element onto your own template design.
You can even customize your Spotlight with multiple pages and tabs, each with as many folders, projects, and playlists needed. From there, you can share it externally, and collaborators can use the built-in search bar to search by title, description, or tag to find what they’re looking for.
Taking Your Digital Asset Organization to the Next Level
Managing your media and assets doesn’t have to be a full-time job. A little bit of strategy and work on the front end can save you hours—and lots of headaches—down the line.
And, with MediaSilo, it’s easy to get started. With just a few simple tags in the search bar, you can always find exactly what you need, whether you have 100 or 100,000 files
EditShare EFS Swift Link for seamless remote editing and connectivity
Whether you’re in post or finishing, flexibility and remote collaboration have become more critical than ever. Thanks to the pandemic, we have got completely used to the idea of directing a live production or finishing an edit on the kitchen table.
At Editshare, we have always had remote workflows integrated via our AirFLOW application. In fact we won an IBC Innovation Award for this all the way back in 2016. Thanks to continuous development, we have advanced still further the simplification of working from anywhere.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, video editor, or content creator, the ability to work remotely on your favorite craft editor while staying connected to your enterprise shared storage system is truly a game-changer. We want the same creativity whether we are in the facility or working remotely, using whatever tool is best for the job and the team.
This is where EFS Swift Link steps in, revolutionizing the way creative post professionals work. In this blog post, I’ll discuss how one of the latest features of the upcoming EditShare technology release – which includes Swift Link – can enhance any post production workflow, enabling anyone to work from anywhere: simply, with full creative control, and without downloading any media.
The Remote Editing Challenge
Traditionally, post work required everyone to be physically present in the confines of the facility. Today, for a whole host of reasons including tightening deadlines, client demands and the life/work balance expectations of valued staff, remote collaboration is a necessity.
The challenge lies in providing editors and creatives with the same experience they would have in-house, even when they are miles away from the facility. In some instances we have seen editors moving and operating out of different countries.
Enter EFS Swift Link
EFS Swift Link bridges the gap between remote editing and centralized EditShare EFS storage systems – be they on-prem or in the cloud.
Simply and transparently, the EFS client adapts to the network conditions of individual workstations allowing users to maintain a strong connection to the storage network. We’ve been testing this across our offices on different continents, from our homes to the office and even to the cloud and we are impressed by how simple yet powerful it is.
Wherever you are, it gives you access to both proxies and high-resolution media, so you have the resources you need to work efficiently. That depends on understanding the capacity and quality of the data connection between the remote workstation and base, so one of the standout features of EFS Swift Link is its ability to detect network latency automatically.
You don’t need to be a networking expert to optimize the connection: Swift Link does it for you. Performance is consistently good, even on high-latency connections.
And it does this without forcing individual users to change the hardware, the software and the workflows they are used to. No need to invest in new computers or change the way you work, Swift Link seamlessly integrates with your current setup.
How Swift Link Works
The user-friendly interface of EditShare Connect makes it easy to connect to remote EditShare systems. It simplifies the process, eliminating the need for complex configurations. Just get connected to your network and VPN service and the client will do the rest for you.
Once connected, EFS Swift Link uses its automatic latency detection to optimize the connection. Regardless of your location or network conditions, the system adjusts to ensure you experience minimal disruptions and maximum performance.
And of course Swift Link supports multiple locations, so you can design the collaborative workflows you need with team members spread across different locations. Editors can work on the same project simultaneously, review each other’s work, and provide feedback in real time, just as if they were in the same room. All the standard features of EFS are still available, including bin locking, auditing and consistent drive letter naming.
Benefits
Remote collaborative workflows are the goal for many. With EFS Swift Link editors and content creators can work from anywhere, giving them the freedom to choose their working environment, without compromising on functionality, familiarity and collaboration. The result is faster project completion and improved creativity.
It is also the cost-effective solution. Everyone retains their existing equipment and workflows, so there are no costly upgrades, and there is no downtime to learn new tools and workflows, and no resistance to being forced away from the familiar. If an editor is most comfortable in Media Composer (or Adobe Premiere Pro, or Da Vinci Resolve) then use it, embedded in the EditShare Solution.
Performance is boosted. The automatic latency detection ensures that users media transfers are optimized, even on high-latency connections. And security is maintained, thanks to the integrated data protection systems and the permissions structure.
Remote working is fast becoming the new normal, EFS Swift Link is the lifeline for post production professionals.
Virtual Production rocketed to prominence with the debut of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. The team at Lucasfilm placed LED displays behind actors instead of green screens or blue screens. The technique combined video game tech with cutting-edge motion tracking breakthroughs. The result of this combination is known as the LED volume. Today, LED volumes are springing up in studios around the world. What does it take to incorporate this way of storytelling with your own films?
“Visual effects are becoming real-time.”
The big benefit of virtual production is the ability to see the environment on set instead of in your imagination. The actors can meld into their environment easier, and the cameras can capture the “final pixels” in real-time. Working this way requires more pre-production planning. That results in the pre-production, production and post-production teams coming together in ways never before seen.
The real-time aspect here is key. 3D sets can be built and then displayed on the LED volume. Then the camera’s movements are tracked and synced with the display. The frustum is the area of the screen that the camera sees. “Frustum” is one of the buzzwords in virtual production, so you’ll hear it a lot. This area is the part of the screen that gets rendered in real-time and allows for the parallax effect that you would see if the background were a still matte painting. The ability to recreate this effect is much of what makes virtual production so compelling.
LED volumes
The bank of high-resolution LED panels can be large or small. It could be a flat panel or form of a rounded shape with a ceiling and floor. The higher the resolution of the panels, the higher fidelity the image. In Everything Everywhere All at Once, LED panels were used to throw lighting effects on the actress. The filmmakers talk about using a very low-budget version of the technology, but they served the purpose of adding lighting effects to their talent. Even though the LED screens are at an angle, you can see the pixels in the video and recognize that there is a big difference between what they were working with and what is on the stage at Lucasfilm.
Unreal Engine
How do you get the 3D background world onto the LED screen? The most common application for building these real-time worlds is Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine rose to prominence as a tool for building environments in 3D video games. 3D artists can create landscapes that appear photorealistic in the background. Unreal can be used when the shoot is happening on set, or it can build the “first draft” of the background. Then artists may use tools like Houdini to create a final version of the LED volume.
Camera choice
Test, test, test. That seems to be the mantra when choosing a camera for your LED volume shoot. The crew at REMEDY tested out a bunch of high-end cameras and concluded that the RED Komodo and Sony Venice were two of the best.
At the end of the video, the testers commented that they were surprised that the vaunted Alexa 35 ($93K) and RED V-Raptor XL ($40K) exhibited some artifacts. While the $6,000 RED Komodo avoided artifacts like “screen tearing.” This is also known as the “Venetian blinds effect.” The Komodo features a “global shutter.” RED has a little case study on using Komodo with VP. The Sony Venice 2 lacks a global shutter but features an extremely fast readout speed of less than 4ms. (The Venice 1 was used in the test, but it clearly shares a fast readout speed as well) The RED V-Raptor appears to have been tested at the VistaVision size and 8K, which has a 25% slower readout than the Super 35 6K mode.
Another major visual issue is moiré. This effect is seen when a camera focuses on an area with fine detail, and it appears to have rolling lines. Blackmagic Design has recently released an updated version of the 12K camera with an optical low pass filter designed to mitigate this problem.
These kinds of details make virtual production really technical. There are so many factors that have to work together in harmony. It will be really interesting to see if LED screens and the controllers will become optimized for the cameras that are shooting them.
Tracking devices for cameras
An essential ingredient for production with an LED volume is a tracker for your camera movements. The Mo-sys StarTracker often gets the nod as the go-to tracker.
The tracker connects to your camera and communicates the camera’s location to the system. This data allows the frustum to display the proper image. New fluid heads are beginning to come out with tracking information and data connections as well. For instance, Cartoni introduced the e-Maxima encoded head. This feature helps communicate tilt and pan data to the system for even better camera position tracking.
Lens data
Another important factor in achieving the right look is lens data. The focal distance and T-stop information are critical factors for VFX. Cooke’s /i data and Zeiss’ eXtended data technologies record the focus and iris positions. Lens data can also be sent to a wireless lens encoder and funneled into Unreal Engine.
Zeiss recently acquired the camera tracking company N-cam, so it will be exciting to see how these technologies start coming together in a more integrated way. Hopefully, this will lead to some more streamlined camera rigs in the future.
Crewing a shoot
Even though virtual production is a new technology, it is key to have a crew who has both experience and a knack for integrating new technologies. Noah Kadner has been a leading voice in the field of virtual production, and he has a great LinkedIn course that will help you and your team get up to speed with the basics of VP. Noah describes the crew collectively as the “Brain Bar” or the “Volume Control Team.” Team members will do real-time composting, supervise the shoot, or work with the physical LED panels.
Lighting
One of the first questions that people ask is, “Can I use the LED panels to light my actors?” The LED panels can complement your primary lighting, but it doesn’t replace it. The LED panels will do a great job of imparting edge lighting to your subject. And that is a big relief when compared to cleaning up edges on a green screen or dealing with green spills on your actors from the light reflecting off of the green screen. Lighting manufacturers are now using wireless DMX controls to interact with the LED volume. Prolycht has shown off how their app works with their lights to match the ambient lighting of the LED volume. It works with a new adapter from Accsoon and an iOS device. This ingenious combination automates lighting in amazing new ways.
Processing all that data
Puget Systems offers a great summary of the kind of hardware needed to feed 3D worlds to the displays. They recommend AMD CPUs over Intel and the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada or GeForce RTX 4090GPUs. When choosing the right GPU for your studio, they note, “If you are dealing with a large LED wall, then the extra VRAM and support for a Quadro Sync card will make the RTX 6000 Ada the clear winner. For a simpler setup, especially a green screen, the GeForce RTX 4090 will likely suffice and save you money.”
Production design and the art department
LED volumes combine digital and practical set design in new ways. You might have a physical piece of furniture in some scenes and then a double of that piece in the 3D world on the LED screen. There are many questions about where the foreground should end and the background should begin. And there’s a dance between who should take the lead when props and set decorations span these two worlds.
The positive result of this situation is that artists who work in production and in post get the opportunity to collaborate in pre-production in brand new ways. Directors can use VR headsets in pre-production to explore the scene. Cinematographers can plan their shots in pre-production and see that on the monitor while they are shooting instead of filling in a green screen with their imagination.
Conclusion
Virtual production offers exciting new possibilities, and it has plenty of technical challenges. It shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for shooting on location. But it is an amazing tool for bringing the whole production into a single moment or creating a world that would be cost-prohibitive to craft physically. At the same time, AI technology designed to key backgrounds out in scenes without green screens or LED panels is advancing rapidly. All of that makes virtual production an exciting space watch and a genuine advancement in storytelling technology.
MediaSilo allows for easy management of your media files, seamless collaboration for critical feedback, and out-of-the-box synchronization with your timeline for efficient changes. See how MediaSilo is powering modern post-production workflows with a 14-day free trial.
Utilizing the “Workflow Integration” framework within DaVinci Resolve Studio, MediaSilo users can now access the most commonly used features on MediaSilo. Now you can search through your MediaSilo assets, preview and download media, upload revised edits and securely share content – without leaving Resolve!
Search for any assets, folders or projects available to your MediaSilo user account.
Preview and scrub through media before downloading.
Download options include proxy and high-resolution versions of video files – directly into your DaVinci Resolve Media Pool.
Export your DaVinci Resolve Studio Edit page timeline to your team and clients, while automatically uploading to your MediaSilo Project.
Send a Quick Link with security options to team members and clients for review and approval.
All MediaSilo comments on an asset can be downloaded directly into your Resolve timeline.
Versioning allows you to iterate on an edit and track its progress.
Want to see a full demo of the workflow integration? Watch Now.
When we talk about high performance storage, what do we mean?
Most obviously, your content must be stored securely, with at least one and preferably multiple layers of resilience. And you need to be able to access that content quickly, when you need it, and in the form you need it.
Those requirements are the same, whether you are a start-up, a growing business, or the largest production company in the world. This ability to scale is likely to be central to your choice of storage platform, unless of course you are content never to grow as a business, which seems unlikely.
While it may not seem obvious, this is a fundamental part of the design of the EditShare storage environment. We think that this is a really important point: wherever you start, EditShare grows with you.
EditShare EFS 200: A Solid Starting Point
In my recent blog on how much storage you might need as a creative producer, I suggested that a start-up – a YouTuber or a corporate communications department, say – might start with an EditShare EFS 200 appliance. This starts at 24 TB of storage, protected by RAID-6.
It is a network device, accessible by Mac, Windows or Linux clients, so to your editors and other post users it looks like any other storage device. It includes FLOW, a powerful production asset management system that helps you manage and keep track of your content. That means you can create bins and folders in advance, so your editors sit down with their preferred software tools and the material they need is there, organized, connected and waiting.
Flexible Expansion: Adding Storage to Meet Your Needs
As your needs grow, you simply add more disk drives into the chassis, up to a maximum in a single 2U frame of 360 TB. If you need some fast access cache for regularly used material or high bitrate codecs, some of the drives can be SSD.
You can add more devices, either of the same type or one of EditShare’s larger frames. You can put some of your content in the cloud using EditShare FLEX.
The important point is that all you have to do is add the extra storage. Routines built deep in EFS recognize the extended capacity and spreads your material efficiently across it. Loads are balanced equally across devices and RAID groups completely automatically, without the need for intervention and without limiting performance.
Managing Your Content Library with Tiered Storage
As your content library expands, you might want to manage it in a tiered structure, with online storage for active media, nearline storage devices to provide rapid response, and archived storage for completed projects.
Or you might need to open multiple locations, either to provide extra capacity or to service specific projects. To minimize issues caused with network connections between the sites you could put some storage in the remote locations.
Built-in Content Management with EditShare FLOW
EditShare storage management software is augmented with FLOW asset management. FLOW has simple tools to manage all of this, so you determine what content needs to be moved and when. This can be determined automatically by business rules, initiated by operator interventions, or more likely a combination of both. When spare network bandwidth is available, automated routines backup content from remote locations to the central facility or to the cloud.
As I said earlier, this is all baked into the EditShare environment. Whatever the reasons your storage network needs to grow, you simply add the capacity – more disks or more devices – and the software handles the rest, balancing loads and ensuring that it continues to provide the high performance your work needs.
Like many prominent consumer brands, our client had decided to bring their creative and content production in-house. With the World Federation of Advertisers reporting that moving creative work in-house delivers cost efficiencies greater than 30% in some instances, it’s no wonder that companies have embraced this option. The study also found that the growing number of brands using this strategy experienced 64% better integration and increased brand and business knowledge by 59%.
While this approach allowed our client to grow creatively and control every aspect of their content creation, it also introduced problems that led to a chaotic workflow. Overseeing social and digital content creation for over 300 unique brands while blending traditional production with a new high-tech approach required tight collaboration between internal teams and external freelancers. Using multiple free tools led to confusion over which version of an asset to use and created siloed efforts between the different teams and platforms. Having one platform for work-in-progress assets, one for finished assets and yet another one that allowed freelancers to collaborate led to extremely long review cycles. With no standardized process for content submission and different systems for different parts of their workflow, trying to get timely feedback proved impossible. And when you’re producing over 20,000 assets a year, speed against tight deadlines is vital. The confusion and roadblocks created by their existing workflow caused delays they simply could no longer afford.
After hearing about a colleague’s success with our software, their brand experience team contacted Shift Media, desperate to upgrade their collaboration system for content production. Their main goal was to streamline their previous workflow that siloed work-in-progress, finished assets and freelancers. They needed a standardized process for content submission, a work-in-progress system to organize files, collaborate and share with stakeholders for faster feedback, and they wanted to do it all on a single platform.
They found the perfect solution in MediaSilo, which allowed them to securely manage all video production assets in one common collaboration hub. Freelancers could share content with the internal team and each other instantly, streamlining the review process. They no longer waste time searching for the latest file version or following up with stakeholders, allowing them to increase production with those much-needed manhours. Every file, from concept to delivery, is now easily accessible by the entire team. MediaSilo helped unite all internal and external stakeholders with accelerated delivery timelines and simplified their workflow, providing solutions in asset management, review and approval and content presentation. This increased efficiency allowed them to accelerate production delivery timelines, enabling triple-digit improvement in marketing spend ROI.
With MediaSilo, our client was able to make secure video collaboration easy and eliminate superfluous tools, leading to significant cost savings and giving them back the time and money they needed to focus on cooking up quality content.
MediaSilo allows for easy management of your media files, seamless collaboration for critical feedback, and out-of-the-box synchronization with your timeline for efficient changes. See how MediaSilo is powering modern post-production workflows with a 14-day free trial.
