EVERYTHING IN-CAMERA

If you read the headlines (especially Mandalorian-related ones), it can seem like virtual production is a wholly new concept rather than a constantly evolving methodology that’s been with us since, at the very least, Digital Domain’s work on The Jungle Book. However, what used to be relegated to previz is starting to touch nearly every department. With a little bit of planning and client sign-off, near-final VFX is making its way into film and episodic productions much earlier in the process, giving rise to greater collaboration between the artists and supervisors on both sides of the spectrum.

And yet, for all this momentum, virtual production is actually a fairly young process with limitless room for growth. The question is, where will it go next and what will ultimately drive it in that direction? To answer this, we sat down with Ncam’s CEO, Nic Hatch, as it’s quite literally his job to think about how productions are going to blend real-time 3D, XR and live-action content now and in the