Music Video Production Using an LED Virtual Production Studio

During week two of my Technical Art and VFX masters course at Abertay University I worked with a small group to create a music video for A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel. The project aimed to serve as an icebreaker helping us to work together well and learn the basics of virtual production using Abertay's ViPRE Studio.

Although virtual production is a very advanced filming technique we decided to simplify a lot of the process. As the project was only a week long there was not enough time to set up motion tracking for the camera or DMX integration in Unreal for any lighting. A simple scene was developed to give the overall look we wanted for the music video. Inspired by cyberpunk and blade runner we used a gritty city setting that fit the overall narrative of the song.

I was primarily responsible for directing the virtual production as well as operating the camera. I also carried out some pre-production work in Unreal Engine and did most of the post-production work and final editing.

Overall I really enjoyed the project and think given the short timeframe it was a great success. The project has really opened up my eyes virtual production for film and TV and will have a huge impact on the future work I produce throughout my postgraduate course at Abertay.

One of the key benefits to virtual production is the ability to see the final shot in-camera with minimal post production required.