Spitfire’s director AK put Joburg’s new virtual production studio, VRtuosus, to work

Spitfire’s Director AK recently used the new VRtuosus studio in Hyde Park on a shoot for Profmed featuring Springbok prop Ox Nche, becoming one of the first South African commercial directors to put VRtuosus through the real test.

“I can’t wait to get back in there,” says AK of VRtuosus. “Honestly, there are so many jobs I’ve done over the years where this would have made life so much easier, without compromising the craft. In fact, this brings a whole new layer of craft and possibilities to the work.”

For AK, it was also the first opportunity to properly test the film tech he had been curious about since first being introduced to it last year. “From the moment I saw what it could do, I kept thinking about jobs that I could have used this on. The experience did not disappoint one bit. For me, this technology and the incredible studio space is a game changer.” 

Utilising his background in film and stills photography, AK opted to serve as his own DOP as he sometimes does. This dual director-DP approach leverages his extensive production experience to streamline the project’s visual direction.

According to AK, the Profmed ad barely scratches the surface of what the studio can do. It was a simple application of the tech, but one that made the possibilities immediately obvious. AK says, “You could build stadium environments, recreate locations that don’t exist anymore, create worlds that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to access in real life.”

The Profmed commercial was a fairly uncomplicated shoot built around a single location and a single key setup. Nonetheless, for AK, it was a valuable first test. The production gave AK the opportunity to experience how the entire system works in practice, from selecting Unreal Engine elements to build the virtual environments, supplied by VRtuosus, and lighting them correctly, to working alongside the in-house virtual production team and seeing the final image come together in real time as you’re shooting. 

For those who missed our earlier coverage, VRtuosus combines real-time rendering, camera tracking and virtual environments that range from simple 2D image plates through to parallax-enabled 2.5D environments and fully photorealistic 3D worlds. Directors, agencies and clients can see the final image taking shape live on set as the camera moves, rather than waiting until post-production to see whether everything works.

The complete studio facility includes multiple studio stages, state-of-the-art camera systems, premium cinema lenses, advanced lighting grids and an in-house virtual production team that works alongside productions throughout the shoot.

“Depending on the scope of the project, Directors like AK will still bring their own DOP, gaffer, crews, shot list and creative vision along to shoots,” explains Brendan Gabriel, General Manager at VRtuosus. “What changes is that you now have our virtual production team sitting alongside them, helping merge the physical and virtual worlds, bringing the creative vision to life.”

The Profmed job itself started with a familiar production headache. The team needed a locker room environment where AK could execute a 360-degree camera move around Ox. The original location fell away, leaving the team scrambling for alternatives.

Behind the scenes, Profmed

What impressed AK most wasn’t just the virtual environments; it was how seamlessly the studio fitted into a normal production workflow. He adds, “The state-of-the-art cameras are already there, and the lenses we have access to are incredibly impressive. These aren’t compromises. This is proper kit.” While productions can bring their own lenses if required, AK says most directors and DOPs will find almost everything they need already in the studio – apart from obvious specific elements like art direction props or set builds and of course lighting effects, wind, etc. 

Brendan believes that’s one of the biggest misconceptions around virtual production. “People think the technology replaces the filmmaking process,” he says. “It doesn’t. You’re still bringing in your crew and your craft. We’re simply adding another layer of possibilities, efficiencies, and expertise to make what may have seemed impossible possible.” There is one thing to understand though, you still require preproduction and planning to create your virtual sets before filming in the studio. This can either be done by scanning a real environment or using photo references to recreate your 3D virtual set to your specifications OR by purchasing existing virtual environment elements to recreate your bespoke 3D virtual set. 

VRtuosus accommodates a range of virtual environment applications to be used to realise the conceptual vision, from 2.5Dvideo plates through to fully realised, real-time photorealistic 3D worlds depending on the creative ambition, timelines and budget. Those environments can be custom-built for specific briefs.

For Liesl Lategan Kyriakou, Executive Producer and Owner of Spitfire, another important ingredient in the success of the project was client trust. “Taryn was incredible,” she says of Faith & Fear’s Taryn Sharman, heading up the marketing for Profmed. “A lot of clients would have become nervous when the location changed and we suggested a different approach. Instead, she trusted AK completely. When he said this was the right solution, she backed it.”

Perhaps the biggest endorsement comes from AK himself. “After nearly two decades directing ads, I can immediately think of multiple jobs where VRtuosus would have saved time, budget and production headaches. We were running around killing ourselves on some shoots. Moving from one location to another. Splitting units. Trying to make the schedule work. Had VRtuosus existed at the time, I would have shot many of those projects there and I look forward to doing so in the future. I can’t wait to get back in there.”

Wanna (s)talk some more? VRtuosus’ company website. Email Brendan.gabriel@vrtuosus.com or +27 82 457 7561 for more information.