Vol.16 Hibino VFX Studio has been open for half a year! Hibino's strengths are evolving in response to feedback, achievements, and requests. And what is the outlook [Virtual Production Field Guide]

Mr. Imokawa: We held an open house from June 2nd to 4th, 2021. People from various industries such as terrestrial broadcasting, streaming services, video production, etc. I believe that there were many people who read the previous article and became interested in our studio and contacted us. At the open house, we wanted to create a work of quality that everyone would be satisfied with, incorporating in-camera VFX. Rather than providing everything in-house, we wanted to welcome a company with a lot of experience in the industry to create the work, so we asked Mr. Motomi Kobayashi of Chapter 9, who was interviewed last time, to be the director of photography and overall supervision. , The 3D background was produced by Digital Frontier, the art was handled by Cinque R, and the lighting was handled by TOKYO GRIP. Thanks to you, we received a lot of views on YouTube, and we received a lot of surprising comments from people directly, and we received a very big response. I think that a very good work was completed with the help of everyone who cooperated in the production. After the article was published in PRONEWS and the success of the open house held after that, I have the impression that the opportunities to see articles on virtual production have increased. I feel that everyone's interest in this technology has been high, and I hope that it has had a certain stimulus or influence on the industry.

▶Watch video footage shot at the open house

Open house

Update your studio equipment. What is the point of evolution in response to the request?I heard that the studio equipment was updated after the open house

Mr. , with some improvements. First, the front LED display Ruby 1.5F, which projects a 3D background, has been added by 50cm per panel to increase the height. At the same time, we were able to secure a clearance of 4.5m for the stage by raising the hanging position of the LED Carbon5 for ambient light on the ceiling. Then, I moved the ceiling LEDs a little forward, leaving a space between them and the front LEDs so that the lighting could be installed. Using only LEDs for ambient light tends to result in soft lighting, so we responded to the request to illuminate the performers from the ceiling at the back of the set with stronger lighting such as sunlight.

The height of the front LED display "Ruby 1.5F" that projects the 3D background has been changed from 400cm at the time of opening to 450cm. By installing the LED for the riser, the location and angle can be changed freely. It is possible to change the installation location in a short time, such as placing it around the front of the performer.

Ambient light LED "Carbon5" is installed on the riser (with casters) to improve follow-up efficiency to the performer

Mr. Higashida: Thirdly, it is now possible to use smoke in the studio, so a wider range of effects is now available. Fourth, we moved machines such as servers out of the studio. I think this helped keep the studio quiet.

A group of machines such as servers moved outside the studio Load distribution by rendering on multiple machines -Cluster Rendering

Mr. Higashida: The media server that renders the 3D assets displayed in the background is updated from rx to rxII that uses NVIDIA A6000 for the GPU, and rxII in the inner frustum (the area where the camera is shooting) 2 units, and 3 rxII units are used for the outer frustum (image for outside ambient light and reflection). In addition, 100G is connected between the media server vx4 and rxII, which are in charge of overall control such as output to the LED processor. In the early days, one rx was used to process each inner and outer, but by distributing the load on multiple machines, we increased the processing capacity and became able to handle more complex assets. We are the first company in the world to adopt this Cluster Rendering, and we have achieved stable operation. In the previous environment, even if the creator created an elaborate 3D scene, it would sometimes be difficult to make the world move smoothly in real time. There was also. We believe that by enabling Cluster Rendering, we will be able to meet the demands of creators with a higher level of quality without compromising.

Cluster Rendering achieves stable operation (outer frustum rxII x 3 units (monitor screen left), inner frustum rxII x 2 units (monitor screen right) -- please tell us about the examples after the open house

Mr. Kikuchi :Several commercials were filmed at Hibino VFX Studio.In the HADA NATURE commercials "Reincarnation" and "Everyday Head Spa", a pool was set up in the active area to express the beach, and the water overflowed to capture the surface of the water. As for shooting in an external studio, we brought the system to Media Garden's studio to shoot the music video for "Nakijizo" by multi-artist Vaundy.The size of the LED is Hibino VFX Studio. In this case, we went through several tests with Hibino VFX Studio from an early stage, and then went to the actual shooting.With a tight schedule of 2 days for loading and preparation, and 2 days for shooting, the number of cuts However, in the preliminary test shooting, all sections such as CG, lighting, art, camera, LED, etc. were able to establish a workflow by repeating trials together, and shooting in virtual production instead of location I think that we were able to complete the filming without any problems even with this schedule.Also, in terms of LED technical cooperation, in Toyota's Corolla Cross CM "Running through individuality", a 500mm wide LED was used at Toho Studios. We set up a set of 300 degrees in increments of 5 degrees, enclosing a total length of 30 meters, and filling the ceiling and floor with LEDs.As you know, we have a lot of LEDs, so this We would like to provide equipment and technology for shooting in external studios like this.

▶[Virtual Production Field Guide 4] Vol.01 In-camera VFX shot of Vaundy's MV "Naki Jizo". AOI Pro., TREE Digital Studio, Hibino, jointly realized shooting site report ▶Hibino VFX Studio example introduction page What are the features and strengths of Hibino VFX Studio as an In-Camera VFX studio? ――What are the strengths of Hibino VFX Studio as an in-camera VFX studio? using. With the success of the Mandalorian virtual production, ROE Visual is now used in many virtual productions in North America and can be said to be the industry standard. Many studios in North America use disguise, and the number of virtual production companies in South Korea, where the entertainment industry is booming, is increasing. We have a trusting relationship and partnership system with these two leading manufacturers in the world for 10 years. By constantly checking the achievements of both companies, we can understand trends such as what is currently required for virtual production and what is cutting edge. We can refer to many achievements by working closely with each head office, and we can also receive information. In addition, we have a very good relationship where we can share information and communicate with each other, such as sharing the knowledge we have gained and the needs of Japanese customers. We also have direct contact with the NEP Group, including Lux Machina, so we are also working to share information and raise the level of each other. I think this kind of relationship is a big point that other companies don't have. Virtual production is currently being driven by North America. Hibino VFX Studio is able to faithfully reproduce this trend in Japan, including the relationships with the above-mentioned related parties. In North America, studio sets such as arranging the LEDs in front of the studio in a curved shape to effectively create a sense of immersion, and using ambient light LEDs on the ceiling or on movable risers are not common in North America. Although it is a standard, for example, it is a very difficult task that requires safety to hang an LED directly from the ceiling. We have a track record and technical capabilities cultivated over many years in LED video for concerts and events, and we can handle everything from design to installation including rigging and operation in-house. My impression is that there are still few companies in Japan that have built a studio at this level. In addition, as mentioned above, we are the first in the world to operate Cluster Rendering stably, which enhances real-time performance. I won't listen Our company has been operating ROE Visual's LED and disugise's media server for a long time, and the video technology cultivated at concerts and events was the foundation. Regarding virtual production construction, the starting point is different from that of a company that starts from scratch. We believe that one of our strengths is our technological capabilities that allow us to build the best in-camera VFX environment on a world-class level.

Reasonable Pricing

Mr. Imokawa: Regarding the usage fee of the studio, considering the location in Minato Ward and incidental facilities such as LED display, we offer it at a very reasonable price. We are currently in the stage of spreading In-Camera VFX shooting in Japan, and we would like you to use Hibino VFX Studio for test shooting first, and then use our LED and system in the studio where the actual shooting will be done. thinking about.

Enhancement of Cinema Cameras and Lenses

Mr. Imokawa: Hibino Vesco, a subsidiary of our company that rents equipment for broadcasting and video production, announced on October 1 that Hibino Co., Ltd. Hibino Visual Div. became a unit. In the future, we will strengthen our services for cinema cameras and lenses such as ARRI.

At the time of the interview, the shooting set was being held in Hibino's in-house sky lounge. What do you think about the future prospects of virtual production? is. Virtual production can reproduce various location scenes, and it is possible to shoot scenes such as prisons, hospitals, runways, public transportation, etc., where locations are possible but only available for a limited time, without time limits. I believe that various possibilities will be born depending on the ideas in the future.

From the perspective of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

Mr. Imokawa: From the perspective of "responsibility to make and use", I think that LED and virtual production provide a reusable background. Up until now, decorated walls have been set up around the booths at exhibitions, etc., and all of them have been discarded after the exhibition period. TV programs are increasingly adopting LEDs for art sets, and shooting in virtual production is reducing waste, not doing location, not taking an airplane, not transporting equipment. From the point of view, I think that it is an activity that is friendly to the global environment. At present, we are able to provide hardware including cinema cameras, but in the future we would like to be able to provide software such as 3D asset production, lighting, and color grading as a package. We expect our clients to make changes as well. Considering the environment, all commercials this year will be virtual. Such an annual contract reduces costs and improves quality. We will conduct sales activities to build such a win-win relationship.

*Video will be embedded here*-->◀︎Vol.15 [Virtual Production Field Guide] Vol.17 (coming soon)

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