A Snapshot of Final Pixel Academy: Campus Highlights

APPLICATIONS OPEN UNTIL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1ST

The Virtual Production Fellowship provides an in-depth, highly qualitative experience for 16 Fellows across the core virtual production (VP) competencies, covering both creative and technology skillsets required, moving from foundational, to advanced and expert practitioners by the end of the 3-year programme in:

· Production

· Creating Virtual Art

· Volume Control

· Filming in a volume

With a thorough combination of mentorship, specialist learning (creative and technical), mixed cohort learning and on-set experience this fellowship programme establishes a high benchmark for virtual production skills in Scotland. Learning outcomes and impact will be defined for each specialism track for proficiency and level achievement in alignment with Final Pixel’s Accreditation Framework.

Integration with industry studios and employers, alongside University partnership will create a lasting legacy and embed virtual production training into the local market. 

The Virtual Production Fellowship will draw upon Final Pixel’s knowledge and expertise gained through real-world, end-to-end virtual production shoots and VAD (virtual art department) design and development and will be delivered in partnership with Nightsky Studios to provide facilities for both creative and technical hands-on practice space in a working LED Volume, as well as provide bleeding-edge technologies required for ICVFX (in camera VFX) training and learning.

This experience will provide Fellows with bespoke and high-level virtual production training based on proven workflows with access to the full suite of tools, technologies and creative applications. It also increases the likelihood that participants will then go on and use the software and facilities for their own initial endeavors and forge career pathways into virtual production. 

Final Pixel's access to industry partners also offers a wide variety of software and hardware, non-proprietary tools, and open/accessible approaches to partnering, networks and ongoing training, apprenticeships, work experience, and on-set experiences across professional commercial projects, industry events, and R&D.

This 3-year Virtual Production Fellowship will provide an introduction to what virtual production is, the key technologies and concepts that underlie it, the potential career pathways and skills required, and practical know-how to develop critical skills through experiential learning that will enable and empower Fellows to work with and toward future careers within virtual production and real-time industries.  

The Virtual Production Fellowship will introduce the concepts and principles behind a range of virtual production technologies, creative techniques and applications. It provides Fellows with hands-on, experiential learning that will successfully and confidently add a wide variety of skills necessary to navigate virtual production and the real-time industries. This experience will teach the required skills but also provide a roadmap for how Fellows plan a career path in virtual production as well as diversify transferable skills across multiple industries (e.g., manufacturing, automotive, health, fashion, architecture, metaverse, social media, and music, etc).

The Virtual Production Fellowship is aimed at mid- and senior-level film and tv crew living and working in Scotland across a variety of creative and technical departments who are interested in skilling up and learning how to work within virtual production environments. Applications are welcome from those working across film, HETV, games, animation, VFX and live events.

There are 16 places available for The Virtual Production Fellowship in Year 1 for those currently living in or residents of Scotland.

There are also 4 places available for students who are currently enrolled in universities across Scotland (applicable programs across film, broadcast, tv, advertising, live events, animation, VFX and games).

See below for how to apply.

Fellows will receive an introduction to virtual production and come to understand that it is a process in film production that integrates real-time game engine technologies into the traditional filmmaking workflow. This represents a significant shift in the production paradigm by bringing the post-production process to the forefront of production.

Along with gaining an understanding of these new workflows, delegates will come to learn about the impact of virtual production capabilities on all crew roles and Heads of Departments (HoD) working in film, HETV, games, advertising, and broadcast. They will also learn about the benefits of virtual production and how best to apply creative technologies. Delegates will also be placed within their specialsm tracks (Producing, Creating Virtual Art, Volume Control and Filming in a Volume).

Delivery of both theory and practice-based learning will focus around the following core components, key technologies, and novel workflows of virtual production including;

• Real-time game engines – Technologies like Unreal Engine or Unity are used for creating real-time graphics and interactive experiences, making it possible to visualize digital scenes during the shooting itself.
• Virtual reality (VR) – This allows filmmakers to scout and design virtual sets before they start filming (e.g., scoutviz) and designing virtual sets for VAD (virtual art department).
• Augmented Reality (AR): This technology can overlay digital elements onto live-action footage, creating a mixed-reality environment.
• Performance Capture: The capture of human performances that are then mapped onto digital characters (e.g., mo-cap or motion capture). This is particularly popular in animated features or films that require non-humanoid characters.
• Virtual Cameras: These allow filmmakers to move and operate a camera within a 3D environment, giving them an understanding of how the final shot would look.
• LED Walls: These are used to project 3D environments around the actors, providing realistic lighting and reflections.

Key technologies used in virtual production:

• Unreal Engine and Unity: These real-time game engines are capable of rendering high-fidelity 3D environments in real time.
• Motion Capture Systems: These track the movements of actors and translate them into digital character movements.
• Virtual Reality Tools: Technologies such as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive enable virtual scouting and pre-visualisation.
• Photogrammetry and Lidar Scanning: These technologies create high-detail 3D models of real-world locations or objects, which can then be incorporated into virtual sets.
• Machine Learning Algorithms: These are used for real-time facial capture, object detection, and creating AI-driven characters (e.g., generative-ai, chatgpt).

Virtual Production Workflow Methodologies:

• Pre-production: The filmmakers create detailed 3D models of sets and characters using game engines. This phase also involves virtual scouting and planning shots using VR.
• Production: The production phase typically involves shooting on greenscreen stages or in front of LED walls displaying real-time rendered environments. Actors' movements are captured using motion capture technologies.
• Post-production: Unlike traditional workflows, much of the visual effects work is already complete by this stage. However, post-production might still involve tweaking the final visuals, integrating any additional CGI, and traditional post-production activities like editing, sound design, and colour grading.

The Virtual Production Fellowship will have a project-focused framework, whereby Fellows will be required to apply their learning to project-specific live briefs, which require them to demonstrate their learning, creativity, and collaborative execution of module-specific activities. Each year’s learning activities and industry engagement modules will align with Final Pixel’s Industry-Certification Accreditation Badge and Career Skills Framework where proficiency demonstrators will be required as evidence of standardised training and career-ready talent.

In short, Virtual Production is the future of creative production and this future is happening now. 

We believe that aspiring creatives deserve every opportunity to not only get ahead of this new era of production, but to master it at the outset of their careers. The Virtual Production Fellowship offers exactly that.

The ultimate goal of The Virtual Production Fellowship is to empower Fellows to create viable, valuable career paths within virtual production and prepare them for HETV and film careers in a new era of immersive, engaging virtual production workflows. The fellowship will also provide an in-depth understanding of, and preparation for, the critical skills required, and the practical know-how to develop virtual production best practices through hands-on and on-set experience.

The Virtual Production Fellowship accomplishes this by providing an in-depth experience across the core virtual production competencies, covering both creative and technological skill sets required for effective virtual production workflows, beginning with foundational techniques and will evolve Fellows toward becoming advanced, expert practitioners in virtual production by the end of the third year. 

The Virtual Production Fellowship leverages the industry’s most advanced virtual production technologies coupled with expert knowledge of virtual production workflows, techniques and creative applications. Final Pixel Academy will provide agile learning and hands-on practice opportunities in this nascent creative technology to train and develop professional crew and emerging talent with the aim to fill the current chasm of skills shortages in the industry.

Fellows will come away from this career-changing experience with access to larger, relevant and valuable industry networks, with the opportunity to forge key relationships for further career development, mentorship and guidance, and knowledge transfer from experts in the virtual production and real-time industries.

Fellows will also emerge from the program with coveted digital portfolios of their creative works across all competencies, including visual materials for reels and social proof. And most importantly, Fellows achieve industry-recognized accreditation, which immediately signals their level proficiencies for career advancement.

Applications are currently open and will close November, 17th, 2023 at 5pm GMT

The Virtual Production Fellowship Final Info Session Webinar - (Open to the Public) 

Online

Thursday, November 30th @ 16:00 -17:00 GMT

Sign Up Here

The Virtual Production Fellowship On-Set Days @ Nightsky Studios (for awarded Fellows only)

Friday, December 15th, 2023 - 9:30 - 17:00pm Training Day 1

Friday, December 15th, 2023 - 6pm-8pm Public Event Launch

Friday, February 2nd, 2024

Thursday, April 18th, 2024

Thursday, June 13th, 2024

The Virtual Production Fellowship Runs from December 2023 - July 2024 and includes:

Our world-leading trainers, experts, and industry guests and mentors who are providing the latest technologies and creative application insights across all virtual production competencies.

• On-Set VP Training Days at Nightsky Studios
• Online, Instructor-led Training Sessions
• 1-1 Industry Mentorships
• On-Demand Training Courses
• Industry Accreditation Digital Badges

Dates & Full Schedules will be provided for awarded Fellows.

Click the Apply Now Button on the link below to make your application.  

To make sure we are inclusive and accessible to all, please let us know if you require any adjustments or assistance with booking or travel by contacting academy@finalpixel.com directly.

We look forward to seeing you on The Virtual Production Fellowship!

This fellowship is supported and funded by BFI National Lottery, Screen Scotland and Creative Scotland.

Click the Apply Now Button on the link below to make your application.  

To make sure we are inclusive and accessible to all, please let us know if you require any adjustments or assistance with booking or travel by contacting academy@finalpixel.com directly.

We look forward to seeing you on The Virtual Production Fellowship!

This fellowship is supported and funded by BFI National Lottery, Screen Scotland and Creative Scotland.