Virtual production pushes filming to the next level in SA

Virtual production used to be a term used in big Hollywood productions such as Batman, The Jungle Book and The Mandalorian.

With increased access to the technology, it has started moving to smaller productions, including TV series, commercials and music videos.

And now, local companies such as Breadbin Productions are pioneering the way forward for SA by bringing virtual production to our doorstep. 

What started out of necessity during Covid became a saving grace for Breadbin, which pivoted towards new ways of filmmaking to keep the lights on.

Garon Campbell, director and founder of Breadbin Productions, says they offered clients an alternative to Zoom webinars by providing them with grandiose stages and lavish awards venues filmed entirely in a 4x5m green screen studio.

“The clients could experience the final show live throughout the filming process and, as you can imagine, this quickly became a game changer,” says Campbell.

To date they have produced more than 30 virtual productions from sizzler pitch videos to annual results and awards shows.

That’s almost a production a month since Breadbin started on the venture.

Gareth Norman, head of creative at Breadbin, says: “It's been a crazy journey with an insane learning curve as we have produced some of the most elaborate productions with only our imagination being the limit.”

Their latest endeavour, at the FM AdFocus Awards, was a set-up they have been looking to implement to showcase just how easy virtual production can be.

Breadbin wanted to showcase virtual production to a live audience in a LED volume, rather than the usual green screen variation.

This was Johannesburg’s first experiential virtual production using Unreal Engine and engaging a live audience.

There were many complexities, but the opportunity to showcase the incredible benefits of virtual production to 30-plus agencies made the task worthwhile.

Virtual production allows for full control of the lighting via a DMX board, and  can switch between locations at the touch of a button while making adjustments live and on the fly.

This is an incredibly effective tool for big productions on tight schedules with multiple locations.

The entire shoot happens under one roof in a soundproof, weatherproof studio.

Breadbin pulled off this impressive feat at the FM AdFocus Awards with assistance and sponsorship from Immersive Showtech for the LED wall and Panavision/Panalux for the lighting and technical equipment used to bring the immersive scenarios to life.

This article was sponsored by Breadbin Productions.