SINGAPORE: Bringing to life a drive down to the underworld is not something studios in Singapore attempt often – but some have found a way to make it happen.
Virtual production, a filmmaking method that combines virtual and physical worlds, has allowed production companies to create unique content and stand out from the competition.
Since last year, 650 media professionals and 28 projects – including an upcoming Mediacorp Chinese drama, Perfectly Imperfect – have been trained in this technology. Singapore also has three virtual production studios capable of supporting large-scale and world-class productions.
The industry is now hopeful that a refreshed skills framework for media, which was announced on Wednesday (Dec 4), will help firms develop more talent in-house so they can make better use of the technology.
Under the refreshed framework, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will support more than 70 apprenticeships in over seven media companies across content production, business management and technical roles.
Employers and workers will be able to get help to develop relevant media skills identified by authorities and the industry, including in new tech areas like virtual production and generative artificial intelligence.
The framework, which was first launched in 2018, has identified 195 job roles across nine tracks.
“We want the media ecosystem to grow and be nurturing for creative voices,” said Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, at the Asia TV Forum & Market event on Wednesday.
“Central to this is our commitment to develop media talent and open up more opportunities for them, and we are taking significant steps to do that through the refreshed skills framework for media,” he added.
Mr Tan told CNA’s Singapore Tonight programme that virtual production builds on a “very strong foundation” that has been laid over decades.
Through the apprenticeships, IMDA will also help people to get on-the-job training.
Mr Tan said the agency hopes to scale this up over time and put a structured programme in place.
“(This is) so that when someone who wants to pick up certain skill sets or competencies, (they are) actually working on real-life projects … and learning skills from the masters. So, we are starting with that, and we hope to bring more companies on board,” he added.
Players in the virtual production market have welcomed the skills framework as a way to develop more talent in the sector.
They also said some of these skills, like adapting video game software for studio production and managing an LED wall for realistic backdrops in virtual productions, may not even be taught in schools.
Mediacorp now uses an LED screen as a video backdrop, giving more options for storytelling. This includes the drama Perfectly Imperfect, which tells the tale of a crisis that strikes the underworld.
“In the past, we might not even have a storyline (that includes) a road to the underworld. We might only be using a railroad in Singapore and try to pretend… so virtual production actually really gives us a lot of space (to be creative),” said the company’s senior executive producer Leong Lye Lin.
However, this comes with problems that traditional production methods do not face.
Sand used to film scenes, for example, grew darker when it rained, leading to a mismatch with the virtual background that was designed to match the colour of the sand.
These small details are something that production crews need to work around.
A film being edited.
Ms Karen Seah, co-founder of X3D Studio – one of Singapore’s virtual production studios – called it a “complete change of mindset” in terms of workflow.
“(In) traditional filmmaking, a lot of the fixes happen in post-production, whereas for virtual production, the mindset has to completely change… so a lot of the work is done in prep,” she said.
For another studio, generative AI is a new tool that could help them make 15 films a year – up from 12 currently.
The technology helps Mocha Chai Labs to cut down on tedious parts of the job, like fixing audio issues and helping them generate materials for pitching ideas to buyers.
“In the past, for example, to fix a problem in the post workflow, we might need a month. Now, with certain tools and software, we can reduce that amount of time to just a couple of days or a week,” said co-founder Michelle Chang.
“That is great, because then our specialists can spend more time to do the more creative stuff – to design the world, for example, to work with the directors.”
Nevertheless, industry players said the fundamentals will continue taking centre stage.
“It doesn't matter how technology will evolve – it will get better, it will change. But the soft skills and the ability to tell stories that matter is really our focus,” said The Moving Visuals Co. CEO Galen Yeo.
Continue reading...
Virtual production, a filmmaking method that combines virtual and physical worlds, has allowed production companies to create unique content and stand out from the competition.
Since last year, 650 media professionals and 28 projects – including an upcoming Mediacorp Chinese drama, Perfectly Imperfect – have been trained in this technology. Singapore also has three virtual production studios capable of supporting large-scale and world-class productions.
The industry is now hopeful that a refreshed skills framework for media, which was announced on Wednesday (Dec 4), will help firms develop more talent in-house so they can make better use of the technology.
MORE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
Under the refreshed framework, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will support more than 70 apprenticeships in over seven media companies across content production, business management and technical roles.
Employers and workers will be able to get help to develop relevant media skills identified by authorities and the industry, including in new tech areas like virtual production and generative artificial intelligence.
The framework, which was first launched in 2018, has identified 195 job roles across nine tracks.
“We want the media ecosystem to grow and be nurturing for creative voices,” said Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, at the Asia TV Forum & Market event on Wednesday.
“Central to this is our commitment to develop media talent and open up more opportunities for them, and we are taking significant steps to do that through the refreshed skills framework for media,” he added.
Mr Tan told CNA’s Singapore Tonight programme that virtual production builds on a “very strong foundation” that has been laid over decades.
Through the apprenticeships, IMDA will also help people to get on-the-job training.
Mr Tan said the agency hopes to scale this up over time and put a structured programme in place.
“(This is) so that when someone who wants to pick up certain skill sets or competencies, (they are) actually working on real-life projects … and learning skills from the masters. So, we are starting with that, and we hope to bring more companies on board,” he added.
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WAY TO DEVELOP MORE TALENT
Players in the virtual production market have welcomed the skills framework as a way to develop more talent in the sector.
They also said some of these skills, like adapting video game software for studio production and managing an LED wall for realistic backdrops in virtual productions, may not even be taught in schools.
Mediacorp now uses an LED screen as a video backdrop, giving more options for storytelling. This includes the drama Perfectly Imperfect, which tells the tale of a crisis that strikes the underworld.
“In the past, we might not even have a storyline (that includes) a road to the underworld. We might only be using a railroad in Singapore and try to pretend… so virtual production actually really gives us a lot of space (to be creative),” said the company’s senior executive producer Leong Lye Lin.
However, this comes with problems that traditional production methods do not face.
Sand used to film scenes, for example, grew darker when it rained, leading to a mismatch with the virtual background that was designed to match the colour of the sand.
These small details are something that production crews need to work around.
A film being edited.
Ms Karen Seah, co-founder of X3D Studio – one of Singapore’s virtual production studios – called it a “complete change of mindset” in terms of workflow.
“(In) traditional filmmaking, a lot of the fixes happen in post-production, whereas for virtual production, the mindset has to completely change… so a lot of the work is done in prep,” she said.
GENERATIVE AI SAVES TIME
For another studio, generative AI is a new tool that could help them make 15 films a year – up from 12 currently.
The technology helps Mocha Chai Labs to cut down on tedious parts of the job, like fixing audio issues and helping them generate materials for pitching ideas to buyers.
“In the past, for example, to fix a problem in the post workflow, we might need a month. Now, with certain tools and software, we can reduce that amount of time to just a couple of days or a week,” said co-founder Michelle Chang.
“That is great, because then our specialists can spend more time to do the more creative stuff – to design the world, for example, to work with the directors.”
Nevertheless, industry players said the fundamentals will continue taking centre stage.
“It doesn't matter how technology will evolve – it will get better, it will change. But the soft skills and the ability to tell stories that matter is really our focus,” said The Moving Visuals Co. CEO Galen Yeo.
Continue reading...