IBC2025 explores how virtual production is revolutionizing film. Adrian Pennington details how complex it is to work on locations to install LED walls, while Anora, the bold sexual comedy by Oscar-winning Sean Baker, demonstrates the potential of independent cinema.
IBC content highlights
Setting the stage: Scotland prepares for virtual production
The virtual production scene in Scotland is taking root with new initiatives to expand skill sets, create studio spaces, and incorporate LED volumes and other emerging real-time immersive technologies. Although it cannot yet be said to be a major destination for virtual production workflows, Rhys Murphy, VP Volume & Engine Operator in Glasgow, feels that the technology is gaining ground.
Oscars 2025: winners
It was the best day for Sean Baker at the 97th Academy Awards, as the irreverent sexual comedy by this American auteur, Anora, took home five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, as well as Best Actress for Mikey Madison's effervescent performance.
In addition to the Palm d’Or, his win is a major achievement for independent cinema, made outside the studio system and on a reduced budget, which allowed him to maintain creative control. He refused to hold test screenings and did not allow the primary financier, FilmNation, to see the film until it was completely finished.
Virtual production – tutorial, episode 1: how to expand your creative playground
In the IBC365 tutorial, Serena Bliss, co-founder of Creative Alchemy, explains how virtual production (VP) enables filmmakers to instantly adjust time, locations, and environments, offering a more dynamic and interactive creative process.
Discover how VP increases collaboration among producers, screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, and other creatives by facilitating immediate adjustments in lighting, composition, and performances during production, reducing the reliance on post-production. The tutorial also highlights how VP opens up new possibilities for storytelling, enabling immersive, flexible, and efficient filmmaking, and transforming the way creative teams collaborate to bring stories to life.
Exploring the volume
Virtual production expands the use of locations, but capturing and preparing these spaces to integrate them with the LED wall can be a complex, laborious, and costly process. Mark Moran, known for his work on "Mercy", emphasizes the vital importance of location managers in obtaining the real plates necessary for volume filming.
Thanks to careful planning in urban shoots, seamless scene transitions have been achieved, demonstrating how the role of location managers has evolved and strengthened in virtual production.
Virtual production is transforming the media and entertainment industry, and IBC2025 is the ideal place to explore its latest advancements. Don't miss the opportunity to witness the technologies and innovations driving this revolution.
