Virtual video production has absolutely taken off in our industry.
There are many great VR and xR studios around the world that are doing excellent work, but there’s one issue that keeps popping up, giving producers and directors pause, and for good reason.
Simply put, it’s tough to find a “one-stop shop” that can handle every aspect of bringing your virtual video production to completion.
The big problem
For example, one of the most important factors in these types of projects is the pre-production phase.
A major stumbling block is the seemingly constant need to use precious pre-production time to create and/or source the actual virtual content you’ll be using, and then calibrate it to the studio specifications.
You could relate this problem to the idea of “too many cooks in the kitchen.” In this scenario, one vendor is providing the content, then another actually brings it onto the stage, and yet another is producing that content in the studio. That’s a lot of cooks! It’s also a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong.
And virtual content is only one aspect that can devour budgets, there’s also the physical art design, production, budgeting and pricing, and load-in logistics, to name just a few others.
The big headache
Why is this process such a headache?
It comes down to one thing. Without having holistic support from the studio, you can be left feeling overwhelmed at having to pull together an entire production, while using new technology that you’re not fully familiar with.
As you might know, most productions have a relatively short lead-time and without an expert team to support you leading into your production, you can easily be set up for failure (or at least major budget overages).
Additionally, without expert support throughout the production lifespan, the end result might not be the highest possible quality if no-one is working with the team to utilize all of this incredible technology efficiently and effectively.
You likely didn’t get into this art form in order to become a technical expert, right? OK, maybe some of you did, but for those of you reading this who – first and foremost – want to bring the vision of your project to life, allow us to show you another way …
A holistic approach to virtual video production
We’ve made a very conscious decision at Arc Studios to offer a full, turnkey solution for your virtual video production.
We know that many competing studios might only have the ability to rent the space and LED volume to a client, leaving it up to the client to figure out the rest.
This, in our opinion, is the root of all those headaches we talked about a moment ago!
At Arc (combining the services of Gear Seven & our network of designers) we want you to be able to come to us with just a seed of an idea, and then we can take that idea and bring it fully to life – from conception to completion – for you through our creative, design, and production teams.
In other words, we want to make it easy for you to make full creative use of our incredible technology, without wasting a moment of production time.
So, how do we actually accomplish that? It’s all about our process.
The Arc Studios virtual video production process
If you’ll bear with us for a moment, we’d like to show you our production process below (albeit, a truncated version for the purposes of this short article) …
PRE-PRODUCTION
Project Discovery
We’ll discuss your vision for your project, your project needs, the scope of your project, and your timeline to completion. This phase of the process is all about information gathering to ensure we’re the right fit for each other.
Studio Tour
You can come by our facility and we’ll give you a tour to show you where the magic happens! Also, we have great coffee.
Virtual Content Consultation
Whether you bring a fully realized concept with you, or you need us to help you ideate and conceptualize something brand new, our network of designers will discuss all the possibilities of using professionally designed virtual environments. We also like to take the time with you beforehand, to test your content to make sure that it’s 100% what you’ll see on shoot day. Not many studios offer this, or if they do, it can cost you hundreds of dollars. Our goal is to give you this opportunity to see exactly what you’ll be getting ahead of time, so we can set your project up for complete success right from the beginning.
Finalization
At this point, all of the project details are finalized, and your project is green lit. This is where the real fun begins!
ACTIVE PRODUCTION
Virtual Content Creation
When choosing professionally designed virtual sets, our network of designers will make your vision come to life, whether that’s the photorealistic re-creation of a specific physical location or an abstract, never-seen-before world.
Pre-Visualization
Before the shoot, all teams come together to make absolutely sure that every detail looks and feels exactly the way you envisioned it.
Art Direction & Pre-Lighting
We encourage 1-2 days to dial in custom sets and pre-light the scenes.
Shoot Day(s)
At this point in your project, call times have been established and production begins. The next visual masterpiece is ready to go!
POST-PRODUCTION
Post-Editing
What you saw during the shoot was 95% of the final result of your project. If you need that last 5% polished and perfected, we can get that done for you as well.
Delivering Your Project
We’ll wrap up and deliver the final files of your project in a perfect little bow, making sure you are 100% satisfied with the results.
And that, in a very general nutshell, is the process that allows us to offer you everything you need – all in one place – to bring your virtual video production to completion.
Of course, this is not a one-size-fits all roadmap. Different productions have different needs, and we’ll tailor this process to your project.
Ready to make your vision a reality?
When you bring your idea to Arc Studios, you can rest assured that you’re bringing it to a team of experts that will help you execute your vision with incredible efficiency, accuracy, and artistry.
Let’s Talk.
