The Magician’s Niece explore single studio, live-action motion capture and character creation for children’s programme and video game spin-off

Northern Irish award-winning independent production company The Magician’s Niece have completed an R&D project exploring feasibility of creating a multi-character, motion capture children’s animated series in a single studio setting. Having confirmed the possibilities, the team was contacted by Field Day Lab, University of Wisconsin to develop an educational video game to pair with the proposed animated mini-series. The Future Screens NI award went towards preliminary development of live-action capture pilot and video game development with an aim towards developing a convincing combined package to sell to broadcasters in the USA.

The R&D activity was initially targeted at exploring the feasibility of creating a whole animated show for children in motion capture. The findings have confirmed this is possible the team moved with the intent of making a pilot episode in 2022. Over the course of this project, the team have worked with a studio in Belfast and their collaborators in Los Angeles (Regular Twin LLC) to create artwork and to develop tone, characters and settings for the pilot episode. In addition to our planned activities, the team have collaborated with a studio at the University of Wisconsin, Field Day Lab. Wisconsin reached out to the team having heard about the project through social media. The Magician’s Niece have worked with Field Day in developing an educational video game to pair with the animated mini-series.

Visual Effects & Animation studio, Enter Yes develop case study ONAR for deployable streamlined virtual productions tools

Belfast-based award-winning animation, VR, motion graphics, VFX and gaming studio Enter Yes have completed a Future Screens NI R&D project exploring the use of real time interactive and virtual production tools, and deployable pipelines, exploring the graphics hardware provider NVIDIA. The resulting efficiencies lead to production the of kids television series ONAR, using pre-visualisation and planning high quality fidelity VFX in real-time. This research and practical application resulted in a more efficient communication and planning of costly visual effect, reducing the probability of error and resulting in a much high production value for cost, with potential efficiencies for future productions.

Lead2Grow addresses challenges to small Creative Industry businesses outside capital hubs

Enterprise Causeway completed a Future Screens NI Leadership and Development for Growth Work Package to deliver a pilot leadership training, and mentoring programme.  Called Lead2Grow for Creative Entrepreneurs, the programme focused on working with 30 creative entrepreneurs located outside Belfast, concentrating on businesses located in the Northwest NI (Causeway Coast & Glens and Derry & Strabane City council areas), operating as a micro business (sole traders, partnerships, or limited companies with less than 10 employees).

Addressing the following Challenges and opportunities:

• Leadership development and small businesses (SMEs)

• Leadership Gap in the Creative Industries

• Lack of Growth for Creative Industry Firms

Future Tuesdays presents Ulster Touring Opera with Dafydd Hall Williams, 18 Jan 2022

Future Screens NI’s creative industries talks Future Tuesdays hosted Artistic Director of Ulster Touring Opera Dafydd Hall Williams. Dafydd presented recent Augmented Reality research and development projects, the February 2022 Ulster Touring Opera touring event and plans for the future.

Dafydd Hall Williams trained at the Oxford School of Drama before attaining a BA and MA at Aberystwyth University. Dafydd has worked in a wide range of artistic and managerial roles at companies in the UK and Ireland such as Welsh National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, English Touring Opera, Buxton Opera Festival and Northern Ireland Opera. Since 2015, Dafydd has been a Visiting Director at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, directing Opera Scenes performances with undergraduate and postgraduate Vocal Studies students.

In 2019 Dafydd founded UTO, the only dedicated cross-border opera company on the island of Ireland. The company aims to increase access to opera across the province of Ulster through live touring and immersive technology experiences. UTO’s flagship live tour ‘A Night at the Opera’ will visit four venues in Northern Ireland and three venues in the Republic of Ireland in February 2022. UTO will also launch its App on Apple Store later in Spring 2022, which will be home to the company’s augmented reality experiences developed with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Future Screens NI, NI Screen and Digital Catapult NI.

Joining Dafydd via recorded video was baritone Ross Ramgobin.

A graduate of Brunel University and London's Royal Academy of Music and National Opera Studio, Ross Ramgobin was nominated for a WhatsOnSrage Breakthrough Award.

Recent engagements have included the title role in Grange Park Opera's film of Owen Wingrave, Prince Arjuna in Satyagraha and Schaunard in La bohème for English National Opera, Papageno in The Magic Flute for The Royal Opera's Christmas Concert and Alberich in Birmingham Opera Company's RhineGold. Upcoming engagements include Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro for the Israeli Opera and concert debuts with Britten Sinfonia, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Radio Filharmonsich Orkest of The Netherlands, as well as a return to The Royal Opera.

Ulster Touring Opera is a participant in the XRX Programme, a partnership of Future Screens NI, Northern Ireland Screen & Digital Catapult NI aimed at supporting companies working on innovative ideas within the XR industry. UTO is also the recipient of several Future Screen NI funding streams.

Future Screens NI’s Future Foundation offers Access to Inspire Wellbeing to mentors & mentees

Future Screens NI’s creative industries mentoring programme Future Foundation has launched Access to Inspire Wellbeing, an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for all Future Foundations mentors and mentors across Northern Ireland.
Partnering with Inspire Wellbeing, EAP offers 24hr telephone support, confidential counselling up to 6 x 1-hour sessions and access to an online hub.
Access to Inspire Wellbeing - Employee Assistance Programme

We are delighted to share the news that we have partnered with Inspire Wellbeing to offer the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for all Future Foundations mentors and mentees across Northern Ireland.
 
EAP will provide each of you with the following:

• Confidential counselling service - independent counselling and support complementary to Future Foundations participants.

  • Each person will have access to a 24 hour telephone support line and up to 6 x 1 hour confidential counselling sessions applying the brief solution focused model.

  • Everyone can self-refer and the counselling can be delivered, in your own time, either over the telephone, or via online video throughout Northern Ireland (in person sessions currently on hold due to Covid safety recommendations).

• Access to the online Hub.

• Receive monthly e-zines from Inspire (which we will include a link to in future bulletins).