To create an immersive and visually captivating promo video for the launch of Cudos’ Main-net, utilising our Virtual Production.
Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K, Mo-Sys Star Tracker, Real-time Render Engine, Blackmagic Ultimatte 12, Sony FX9, Sennheiser Radio Mic
Cudos approached us wanting a promo video for Main-net using best in class Virtual Production and we jumped to the challenge. With our newly installed Mo-sys Star Tracker Studio across both Studio 1 and 2, Cudos were our first client to take full advantage of the technology.
Our Virtual Production specialist developed a creative sequence of background transitions. We took the audience on optical journey from “studio” background to Mars to the wilds of a Jungle as the CEO of Cudos delivered a piece to camera.
Our setup included a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K with a pre calibrated zoom lens, a Sony FX9, a camera dolly and track plus the Mo-Sys Star Tracker Studio rig. The first shot involved 2 static shots with the CEO of Cudos talking to camera, one down the line and the other at a slight angle.
To exhibit the full power of the Mo-Sys v-Virtual Production, we devised a shot where the camera slowly dollied in while the CEO was speaking. This type of shot showcases beautifully what virtual production can do. Using the lens and positional data gathered by the Star Tracker, we can imitate the movements of the camera in Unreal Engine, enabling the virtual environment to move in real time. Whereas, in standard green screen production, having a moving camera makes tracking the movement in post very time consuming. With the Star Tracker, positional data is recorded, meaning you can change the environments in post with ease.
As the Sony FX9 didn’t have a star tracker or a factory calibrated lens, the Blackmagic camera was placed in the position of the Sony camera to record the positional data. This meant that the shot from the Sony was able to be keyed and imported into Unreal Engine along with the lens and positional data from the Blackmagic to create a virtual shot. It allowed us to be versatile with the setup and adapt to any scenario.
When I'm there behind the camera, seeing these experiences, we have to experience it and try and visualise what that will look like and the final elements. For our CEO, he is in a realm that you can't imagine. One minute, he's on Mars, and the next minute, he's in a incredible sustainable forest that appears out of nowhere. You could see it was a professional setup, you could see that you were ready.
The plaudits that we've had the amount of people that have watched the content, the new followers and fans, the community growth, our footprint globally. My advice to any other brands and clients is that if you're working with partners, you need to be in a relaxed environment. Myself, my team and my CEO were immediately put in a relaxed mode, because the teams around us in the studios were super relaxed. They knew exactly what they were doing. They were focused on their roles.
