Zhi DongXi (public number: zhidxcom)
Author | Xu Shan
Edit | Yunpeng
Zhidong reported on June 1 that VR manufacturer HTC recently created the first one-stop virtual production solution VIVE Mars CamTrack, which solved the problems of high virtual production cost, long cycle and uncontrollable shooting to a certain extent.
Virtual production refers to the use of computers and other equipment to assist production, the application of digital technology to all aspects of film production, so as to visualize film production.
"We've seen a lot of HTC users try to use Track Trackers to assist with a variety of virtual productions, but maybe a lot of parameters are not adjusted appropriately. That's why we've created this solution for market demand. Yongzhe Bao, senior vice president and head of global solutions at HTC, said.
Camera tracking solutions available on the market
First, high cost, long cycle, complex production, HTC solves the three major problems of virtual production
The virtual production we see now often takes a lot of time. "The general virtual production process requires at least 4 months of pre-production, 5 months of film production and 5 months of film and television post-production." Bao Yongzhe said.
At the same time, the high cost of equipment for shooting scenes has brought about a surge in costs. Not only that, in the production process, factors such as uncontrollable shooting personnel and shooting scenes have also made it more difficult to produce science fiction films.
The process of virtual production
Science fiction movies are often filmed with a green screen as the background, which is a great test of the director's shooting experience and the acting skills of the actors. Because in the green screen shooting, it is necessary to use the imagination of the director and actors to outline the presentation effect of the film. If something goes wrong during filming, the whole movie may even need to be reshot or reshot.
Bao Yongzhe revealed that if the film involves reshooting, the total production cost may increase by nearly 20%.
To make virtual production more efficient, HTC uses camera tracking to synchronize visual content with real-life camera footage.
When the actors perform in the studio, the director can directly see the picture in the composite scene in real time through VIVE Mars CamTrack, thus realizing what you see and get in science fiction movies.
Moreover, through the VIVE Mars CamTrack shooting scheme, composite pictures, composite sound effects and other materials can be controlled and adjusted, thereby reducing the number of reshoots, but also saving the corresponding time and capital costs.
"A lot of screenwriters are reluctant to write science fiction scripts because the cost of shooting is high. Now the reduction of virtual production will also liberate the productivity of the science fiction film market. Bao Yongzhe said.
Second, the use of laser tracking technology, real-time construction of movie screens
VIVE Mars CamTrack supports 2-4 camera tracking, up to three camera positions can be tracked simultaneously.
The advantage of virtual production is that the real camera and virtual camera can completely "reproduce" the movie scene, and the user can adjust the picture effect and related shooting parameters on the mobile terminal such as the computer through the data cable.
What's more, the VIVE Mars CamTrack features a compatible lens encoder that allows filmmakers to adjust the depth of field as freely as they would on a traditional camera.
VIVE Mars CamTrack mainly uses laser tracking technology to capture the motion of actors, and the tracking range can cover a shooting area of 10 meters x 10 meters. "Compared with the complex set of optical tracing technology and the uncontrollable light, laser tracking technology can meet most of the needs of virtual production scenes." Bao Yongzhe said.
At present, VIVE Mars CamTrack can provide more professional virtual production solutions for small and medium-sized studios as well as production and commercial video companies. But at the same time, HTC will also provide a more convenient virtual production solution for some producers who do not have a studio or cannot shoot the location.
VIVE Mars CamTrack is intended for users
Bao Yongzhe also mentioned that VIVE Mars CamTrack not only supports green screen shooting, but also supports shooting with OLED screen as the background. That is to say, the producer can use the VIVE Mars CamTrack shooting with the picture displayed on the OLED large screen as a virtual background, thus creating a virtual production effect.
Conclusion: HTC cuts into the virtual production track and expands new commercial scenarios
In the past, science fiction movies often needed to be filmed through green screen, with high cost, complex processes, and uncontrollable processes. Under the influence of the epidemic, the shooting of virtual production has become more and more difficult.
In order to solve the shooting pain points of virtual production, HTC created the VIVE Mars CamTrack solution to save the time and cost of overall production.
With the concept of the metaverse hot, many science fiction movies have soared at the box office in the past two years, and science fiction movies have become the movie genre that more and more people like. HTC cut into the virtual production track at this time, can it bring new ways to play for domestic science fiction movies? Can producers get a better shooting experience? After time and market verification, we may see the answer.