{"id":22786,"date":"2024-10-01T13:24:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T18:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/?p=22786"},"modified":"2024-10-01T13:24:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T18:24:42","slug":"watch-now-students-short-films-showcase-virtual-production-skills-learned-in-summer-industry-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/10\/01\/watch-now-students-short-films-showcase-virtual-production-skills-learned-in-summer-industry-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Now: Students’ Short Films Showcase Virtual Production Skills Learned In Summer Industry Course"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Visualization<\/a> students recently premiered short films about triumph, discovery and enchantment using virtual production techniques at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The films were produced in the program\u2019s Summer Industry Course<\/a> and filmed on a virtual production stage at Stray Vista Studios<\/a> in Dripping Springs. They will also screen at a joint Viz Industry Partners and Performance Industry Partners event on Nov. 22 in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course was supported by the Virtual Production Institute<\/a>, which is part of the Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts<\/a>. Dean Tim McLaughlin<\/a> said the Summer Industry Course is a pivotal learning experience for students, and emphasized the partnerships for this year\u2019s course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSignificantly for this year, support provided by the Virtual Production Institute made it happen,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cWithout that connection, which was made possible by support provided by the state Legislature, we wouldn\u2019t have been able to partner with Stray Vista to enable this to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtual production stages are film sets that incorporate large LED walls that display computer-generated virtual environments. These digital environments are created using real-time game engines, such as Unreal Engine. Additionally, in-camera visual effects techniques allow an integrated view of onstage actors and set pieces with the environment on the LED screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three groups, comprised of seven undergraduate and nine graduate students, produced short films that are about two minutes long. Mayet Andreassen<\/a>, co-instructor for the course, commended students for their hard work over the 10-week course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the students in these three teams did not have any prior experience with virtual production, that didn\u2019t matter because they rose to the challenge,\u201d said Andreassen, instructional assistant professor and associate program director for the Bachelor of Science degree in Visualization. \u201cThey created three amazing films, and I just couldn\u2019t be prouder of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the Stray Vista stage, the students worked with cutting-edge equipment including two cinema cameras and various lenses from Sony<\/a>, which also made a $5,000 contribution toward student tuition for the course. A robotic camera arm was loaned by SISU Cinema Robotics<\/a>. Wayne Miller<\/a>, special adviser to the dean and a producer\/director, coordinated these contributions and also shared a lecture with the students on directing during the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students had to take on specific roles within their group. Each crew had a director, assistant director, production designer, cinematographer and virtual operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb Kicklighter<\/a>, instructional assistant professor and co-instructor for the course, said the students had about eight weeks to prepare for only two days of filming. The premiere included clips of the student\u2019s pre-visualization plans, which helped them conceptualize their stories before filming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach team used motion capture, Unreal Engine, and MetaHumans in order to visualize their films and share it with others before the shoot day,\u201d Kicklighter said. \u201cThe students had to make sure everything was figured out ahead of time, and all of that hard work paid off when they finally got to the set.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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