Epic Games Releases Free Virtual Production Field Guide
Robust Resource for Filmmakers Includes Practical Tips for Every Department
Epic Games has just released an exciting new resource for filmmakers called the Virtual Production Field Guide — a comprehensive look at how virtual production impacts filmmakers in every craft, from directors to art department to stunt coordinators to VFX teams and more. The guide is workflow-agnostic, and is available as a free PDF download here.
The use of real-time game engine technology has the potential to impact every aspect of traditional filmmaking, and is increasingly being used in productions ranging from films like ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and the upcoming ‘Artemis Fowl,’ to TV series like ‘Game of Thrones.’ The Virtual Production Field Guide offers an in-depth look at different types of virtual production techniques made possible with real-time technology, from creating and integrating high-quality CG elements live on set, to virtual location scouting, to utilizing photoreal LED walls for in-camera VFX. Ultimately, real-time technology can transform the traditional linear pipeline into a more parallel and collaborative creative process, where the lines between pre-production, production, and post-production are blurred — if not erased altogether — as filmmakers can get a much better sense of how their final shots will look, earlier.
The guide also outlines how each department can leverage virtual production workflows, and provides firsthand insights from award-winning professionals who have used these techniques – including directors Kenneth Branagh and Wes Ball, producers Connie Kennedy and Ryan Stafford, cinematographers Bill Pope and Haris Zambarloukos, VFX supervisors Ben Grossmann and Sam Nicholson, virtual production supervisors Kaya Jabar and Glenn Derry, editor Dan Lebental, previs supervisor Felix Jorge, stunt coordinators Guy and Harrison Norris, production designer Alex McDowell, and grip Kim Heath.