Liz Cullinane Many Threads explores opportunities in scenography model box filming

Future Screens NI Future Creatives-funded project Many Threads was developed by Northern Irish artist Liz Cullinane filming in scenography model boxes. Liz looked at two threads: developing work created during lockdown on familial sexual abuse, WOE: Walking on Eggshells and Swanzy Opera in a Box. Swanzy drew on Liz's published biography of Irish artist Mary Swanzy with the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The project gave Liz the opportunity to test the idea of creating a filmed piece for a model box. It also allowed her to up-skill with a number of collaborators to develop her practice-based PhD proposal. 

Future Creatives was a funding opportunity to advance PhD and early-career researchers research and development programmes, advance their career ambitions and develop cutting-edge technical solutions in their work. 

Bamstick brings Cuhullin to life with virtual production

Belfast-based film production company Bamstick have brought to life Ulster’s mythological warrior, Cuhullin, using Virtual Production technologies. Developed through Future Screens NI R&D fund and utilising Ulster University’s Virtual Production studio, the project is currently partnering with potential stakeholders and attaching world class talent. Having achieved a high-quality technical and artistic outcomes across every aspect of the project, the proof of concept test footage will be used as a calling card for the next phase of production. 

For more information on Bamstick and the Cuhullin project, visit here. 

Belfast filmmaker develops immersive mixed-reality project Helpless Wonder exploring daily life of autistic person

Belfast-based, award-winning filmmaker Joe McStravick recently completed a Future Screens NI R&D project developing an immersive mixed reality project which allows its user to explore the daily life of an autistic person and/or to explore the daily life of an ASD parent (the neurotypical parent of a child who is autistic). The project was created by Joe McStravick, co-written by Maura Campbell and produced by Purple Finch Productions (Ltd).

Helpless Wonder portrays a particular scenario in a day in the life of an ASD parent and/or of an autistic person from the morning, through to the evening of a typical school day.  

Joe’s son Eoin was diagnosed with autism on May 5th 2017. The project is inspired by his experiences of being a parent to Eoin. Joe and his wife have often felt like they are “learning on the job” as the parents of an autistic child. They have also often wondered what it must be like for Eoin to navigate out neuro-typical world.  

Joe plans to use the final project as a VR training for ASD parents and young autistic people with the intention to generate interest from the education sector and health care trusts.

For more information on the project and others follow the link here.

Joe McStravick is an award-winning film & TV director. Past projects have been commissioned and/or broadcast by BBC NI, BFI Network, Northern Ireland Screen, TG4 and RTE 2. His short films have screened at various international film festivals, including BAFTA and Academy Award accredited film festivals. As a producer and screenwriter he has produced, written and co-written a number of the film, TV and promo projects that he has directed. He has also directed/produced a range of commercial films and promos for Random, Cable & Wireless, PwC, HM Treasury, BBC and TCL Mobile. 

Future Screens NI & StoryFutures Academy Present 'VP Futures: Behind The Scenes Of A Virtual Production Accelerator Programme'

StoryFutures Academy presents, in association with Future Screens NI, 'VP Futures: Behind The Scenes Of A Virtual Production Accelerator Programme'. This five-episode series recounts the roller coaster journey of VP Futures, an intensive skills development journey into the world of VP and real time technologies.

StoryFutures Academy (the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling run by the National Film & Television School and Royal Holloway, University of London) and Future Screens NI present ‘VP Futures: Behind The Scenes Of A Virtual Production Accelerator Programme'. 

This five-episode series showcases the extraordinary work of VP Futures, an exciting co-production training & development programme where eight companies tested new ideas, upskilled their teams and received extensive in-depth mentorship from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Epic Games. The programme was created to build VP skills in the workforce and capacity in UK businesses to take up the new opportunities coming on stream in VP and real time technologies. 

EPISODE 1 - Meet the Teams & Partners

In this episode we learn more about the ambitions and hopes of the eight VP Futures teams and the potential for VP as a storytelling tool.  Meet the companies and partners ready to take on the challenge and explore new creative ideas.

Full episodes below and here.

EPISODE 2 - The Development Zone Part 1

In this episode the companies assess themselves, their projects & ideas to see if they are transposable into a virtual world, and learn about the complexities of Virtual Production. With Virtual Production masterclasses and a remote session about mocap and performance capture by Industrial Light & Magic and Epic Games, the contestants gain a significant amount of expertise.

EPISODE 3 - The Development Zone Part 2

In this episode the companies dig deep into their needs within Virtual Production and put their newly learned knowledge and skills into practice with the expert industry mentorship and on set production support.  With help from mentors from Industrial Light & Magic and Epic Games, the companies jump over hurdles and obstacles and watch their projects come to life. 

EPISODE 4 - Aura Digital: Making “Stone Hearts & Careless People”

This episode demonstrates the process of making “Stone Hearts & Careless People” a short film made by Aura Digital about a supernatural romance that explores love, loneliness and the beautiful tragedy of living. Aura Digital is an immersive content studio based in Belfast who work with a range of technologies from XR, Motion Capture, Realtime Rendering and Virtual Production to make content.

EPISODE 5 - Sunnyside Productions Behind the Scenes of “The Surreal Life”

Sunnyside are one of the two companies selected for the VP Futures Production Zone and given production support and budget to create their VP project. In this episode watch how Sunnyside Productions take the true story of an historic meeting and transform it into the world of the surreal and subconscious with “The Surreal Life”. Although the action has a comic twist, visually the film is striking and uncanny, and explores the iconography of both the Surrealist movement and the power of dreams. Sunnyside Productions is a well-established production company that creates and produces factual, specialist factual and factual entertainment television programmes and formats.

'Stepping into Virtual Production' a five-day deep dive course for Film and Broadcast professionals in NI

'Stepping into Virtual Production' a five-day deep dive course for Film and Broadcast professionals in Northern Ireland.  

Aimed at established and experienced film and broadcast professionals this ground-breaking training and development programme in Virtual Production entitled ‘Stepping into Virtual Production’ will open up the world of Virtual Production for your company. It will provide unique insight into the world-class Belfast Region City Deal, Pillar Innovation Project known as Studio Ulster opening early 2024. A £70m+, 75000 ft sq commercial virtual production studio complex led by Ulster University in partnership with Belfast Harbour and supported by Northern Ireland Screen. This facility brings incredible new opportunities for film and TV production in Northern Ireland . Studio Ulster will be located at the North Foreshore Studios in Belfast and offers world class virtual production facilities to productions of any scale and complexity across film and broadcast. 

Working with their partners ScreenSkills and Northern Ireland Screen, this course will help you understand how to get started and how to connect with the opportunities of virtual production and the significance of the facilities at Studio Ulster. This course will be delivered by the Ulster Screen Academy with workshops from world leading companies and industry professionals working in Virtual Production today. You will have access to an In-Camera Visual Effects studio using the latest LED volume technology and camera tracking driven by Epic Games's Unreal Engine. 

This course is free for those taking part. Please note this course would normally cost participants £800, but thanks to funding from ScreenSkills as part of the BFI Future Film Skills Programmes using funds from the National Lottery, and a partnership with The Ulster Screen Academy, Northern Ireland Screen and Studio Ulster 

Virtual Production (VP) offers incredible new business opportunities for companies in Northern Ireland but what is VP? This 5-day deep dive into virtual production will build your understanding of what it is and what the possibilities are for you and your company. 

Please register your interest through this Eventbrite page. You will send you details on how to apply through your email address of choice. This is not a guarantee of a place on the course but your chance to register your interest. You will be contacted separately to apply. Welcome to the world of Virtual Production... 

—Register your interest here: https://bit.ly/3eWhCNZ 

Dates: 

Days 1-3: 14th-16th November, York Street, Belfast 0930-1700 with VFX Expert master classes by Monica Chowdhary Kuczynski & Professor Declan Keeney with special guests. 

Day 4: 25th November, York Street, Belfast, Virtual Production Studio 1000-15.30. Workshop and case study with VP company/vendor 

Day 5: 2nd December, York Street Belfast Virtual Production Studio/Labs 1000-16.30 UE 5.1 Ulster Screen Academy staff experts. 

The Ulster Screen Academy is an Unreal Engine Academic Partner. A prestigious endorsement of our work in the area of real-time game engine driven screen technologies and VFX skills development. 

This course covers the critical factors businesses need to know when making the leap into VP and explores the essential knowledge, understanding and skills development needed to develop a virtual production workflow and pipeline in your company and your productions. 

‘Stepping into Virtual Production’ is designed to upskill and build a solid understanding of what Virtual Production is, what the endless possibilities might be and is a new model of upskilling and capability building by targeting individuals in companies working in film and broadcast in Northern Ireland. 

Who is this aimed at: 

This five-day face-to-face course split over a few weeks will be of particular interest to those working in film, high-end TV, and broadcast. This programme is targeted at heads of departments in production, who need an introduction to VP workflows, costs, skills need, hardware and their connected processes. They are decision-makers on how to utilise VP in different forms, but who need a grounding in how various components and tools that fall under the broad banner of virtual production connect and interrelate with existing tradition pipelines. You do not need to be technical to attend, this is aimed at production, producing and its impact on the art of the possible in your projects. 

They are targeting film or TV producers and Directors (or executive, creative director or similar departmental lead) or HoD in a television or broadcast company with more than 3 years' experience. If this sounds like you then please register your interest by signing up. 

For more information on Studio Ulster please go here: www.studioulster.com