On the 27th of October, thirty enthusiastic participants delved into a day of cinematic exploration at the ARRI Stage London in Uxbridge.
Hosted in collaboration with ARRI and Time + Space, our premier partners of KIFF 2023, the event brought together previous festival winners and some 2023 attendees for an interactive workshop and Q&A session.
The day was a testament to our festival's commitment to fostering education, and our dedication to providing a platform for filmmakers to connect with industry leaders. Robert Payton, along with other members of the ARRI team, walked the audience through different ways the Virtual Production stage has been, and could continue to be, used.
The virtual production workshop unfolded as a day of discovery, with participants immersing themselves in the cutting-edge technologies showcased at the ARRI Stage. Attendees had the opportunity to witness first-hand the various effects and backgrounds, gaining insights that will undoubtedly shape the future of filmmaking.
The workshop wasn't just informative; it was a day filled with fun and excitement. The enthusiasm of the participants, combined with the engaging presentations, created an atmosphere of shared passion and creativity. It was a unique chance for filmmakers to expand their horizons, learn new techniques, and exchange ideas with like-minded individuals.
The ARRI team even showed us examples of some of their previous work using their stages, such as amazing and innovative music videos. We even got to watch an exclusive advert created there with high-profile adverts that has not yet been released to the public!
In an age where Artificial Intelligence is of utmost fear to the industry, some participants had slight apprehension towards using a Virtual Production Stage for filmmaking instead of real locations.
However, this apprehension was quickly lifted. Filmmakers can rest-assured that AI is of no part in ARRI VP, and that no filmmakers or industry professionals have their jobs threatened by the use of these screens. Instead, the stage was clearly an advancement of green or blue screens already used heavily in the filmmaking world, yet with far higher realism and greater technology.
For example, location managers are still needed to find the replicas that they would be recreating in the studio, and set dressers are still highly crucial to the filmmaking process as the foreground (in front of the screens) needs to be dressed to match the backgrounds and enhance the imagery.
The excitement of the day reached a climax when the ARRI team brought out a brand-new car onto the stage! The audience were really able to see how the foreground can be set and compliments the 360 screens. The background images on the screen became a moving image of a road, and thus the car really seemed like it was driving!
ARRI VP Stage certainly showed us that films (and adverts, and music videos) can be made much safer, quicker, and for far less expenses by using this innovative technology, yet the fears of AI and job security are not a threat here!
Kingston International Film Festival extends heartfelt thanks to ARRI for their invaluable support in making this event possible. Their commitment to advancing the art of filmmaking through innovative technology has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on everyone who attended.