Epic Games releases Virtual Production Field Guide volume 2

Epic Games has released the second volume of its Virtual Production Field Guide, a free in-depth resource for creators undergoing a virtual production process in film and television.

The first instalment of the Virtual Production Field Guide was released in July 2019, made as a roadmap for the industry as virtual production techniques were poised to explode into life. Since then, a number of high-profile virtual productions have been completed, with new methodologies developed and tangible teachings ready to share with filmmakers.

The second volume expands upon the first with over 100 pages of all-new content, covering a variety of virtual production workflows including remote collaboration, visualisation, in-camera VFX, and animation. A main aspect of the guide is the unveiling of the features involved in Unreal Engine 5 – the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D tool. 

Among the many interviews with industry-leading talents are directors Jon Favreau and Rick Famuyiwa, Netflix’s Girish Balakrishnan and Christina Lee Storm, VFX supervisor Rob Legato and Zero Dark Thirty cinematographer Greig Fraser ASC ACS.

Fellow cinematographer Sam Nicholson ASC spoke ahead of the guide’s release, saying: “We’re excited to work with Epic [Games] very closely on what we can do with [Unreal Engine 5].”

He later said: “One day we’ll look back on the cameras that we’re currently using and say, ‘Can you remember when we used to shoot flat, and the camera didn’t understand anything about depth?’ The next wave of cinematic imagery is cameras that can see in depth. LiDAR, edge control AI, all these things will get us to the next level. Green screen isn’t going away, reality is not going away, but virtual production is a new creative tool that everyone should learn.”

You can download the VPFG here.