The Art of Real-Time High-Resolution Visual Effects
Recent innovations in large-scale LED displays as well as real-time graphics rendering have enabled a new approach to visual effects in film and TV production. As the technical infrastructure has improved, it has become practical and efficient to replace the chroma-key “green screen” process with a real-time computer-generated display of a virtual set on an LED stage that is rendered in perspective to the POV of the camera so that the scene appears to be fixed and real.
This presentation will describe new capabilities in virtual production tools and system architectures that enable in-camera visual effects using game engines, cloud services, virtualization, live LED wall projections, live motion-capture sessions, large-scale volumetric location scanning, and workgroup platforms.
Newly enabled by recent innovations in GPUs, large-format LED displays, game engines, and real-time rendering as accelerated by a worldwide pandemic has driven us to stay home, and now we are able to see a plethora of Hollywood productions, movies, TV shows, commercials, music videos, and even corporate presentations making use of these new techniques.
About the speaker, Hardie Tankersley of Silverdraft SupercomputingHardie Tankersley is VP of Solutions Marketing for Silverdraft, and is a veteran builder of solutions at the intersection of entertainment and technology. He is at the forefront of developing high-quality commercial-grade immersive visualization for design, marketing, and storytelling.
Hardie was previously Senior VP of Innovation at Fox where he delivered digital experiences for big broadcast TV shows such as American Idol, Glee, The Simpsons, New Girl, and 24. He created the digital face of the network, the first TV social media marketing systems, and the FOX NOW streaming apps for mobile and connected devices. Hardie and his team also developed the first-ever Emmy-winning virtual reality experience for Sleepy Hollow.
Hardie started creating online and interactive entertainment by building a local BBS on a 300 baud modem on an Apple II back in 1979. In the intervening years he has managed the development of many digital entertainment products including the first internet products for Apple, the first backstage webcast of the Grammy Awards, the Moxi cable media center DVR for Charter Cable, the online video portal for Real Networks, and Yahoo! TV and Movies.
Erik Smith is CTO of Silverdraft Supercomputing. He has pushed innovation and invention for Silverdraft since 2010, and is the focal point in applying high performance computing solutions to its customers’ challenges. Erik’s first computer was a Commodore 64, which he dissected to understand how it worked. Performing diagnostics and components-level repairs on computers first for friends and then as a business sparked a lifelong love and curiosity of computers and solving hard computing problems. He designed a 50-node cluster, database server, and lab automation system for a bay area biotech company 20 years ago, pushing the boundaries of drug discovery. His love of solving hard problems has allowed Silverdraft to excel in its field.
About the speaker, Erik Smith of Silverdraft Supercomputing
