Orca Studios is one VFX house that has wholeheartedly embraced real-time and the benefits it introduces into the creative workflow. Indeed, Orca’s virtual production studio in Madrid houses a fully customizable virtual soundstage, including a high-resolution 100m² curved wall capable of displaying 1,000-nit HDR images calibrated towards each camera sensor. So whether shooting regular plates or more complex 3D environments that respond to camera motion, Orca is up to the job.
“In a traditional VFX pipeline, the heavy work falls at the end of production; you’re chained to the final edit, and if there are problems during the shoot that can’t be solved, they become an extra ‘problem’ for the post-production team,” explains Maria Tortosa, Head of Production. “A virtual production pipeline reverses the cycle; the VFX team is there from the start of production as, acting as the art department, they have to establish, decide, and create the environments needed for the shoot. The entire process is more fluid, and as a result, people can make decisions more quickly and efficiently. And this process can massively benefit all kinds of shows, from huge summer blockbusters to independent productions. That’s why we’re big advocates of virtual production at Orca.”
Orca is already reaping the benefits of virtual production as the company grows and takes on more projects—and ftrack has helped keep things on track as Orca navigates this increasingly complex and creatively rewarding work.