Great news for those who work with cinematic tools every day. Home Sony announces a new Plug-in in the context of Virtual Production toolset to improve the pre-production process and overall color management. Creators will be able to say goodbye to cumbersome operations and unleash their creativity.
The protagonists of the new Sony Plug-in
The new Virtual Production toolset consists of Camera and Screen Plug-in and Color Calibrator and works with Sony VENICE, Crystal LED and other HDR-enabled LED walls.
Camera and screen plug-in for better visual effects
Camera and Screen Plug-in allows you to detect and resolve some workflow issues, such as the inability to anticipate the actual color performance of specific cameras by the Virtual Art Department (VAD). Indeed, thanks to the new plug-in, Virtual VENICE allows you to reproduce the settings of VENICE, VENICE 2 and Crystal LED displays. In this way, the VAD manages to create the assets you need with the VENICE color pipeline: A meaningful simulation that avoids expensive expenses on the set.
Virtual VENICE can also simulate camera exposure and Neutral Density (ND) filters to recreate shallow depth of fieldthus directing the choice of optics in the pre-production phase.
Another important aid is whether you need to make changes to camera position and movement, thanks to a custom moiré alert displayed by the plug-in while shooting.
Finally, no problem if you need to use the same settings in the different cameras: through the plugin-in, the settings can be easily exported and imported in both VENICE and VENICE 2.
Easier and more repeatable operations with Color Calibrator
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The new Sony Color Calibrator is an application designed to ensure proper color reproduction when shooting LED walls with the VENICE camera. No need for guesswork, reshoots, or complex look-up tables (LUTs) on set or in post-production. The Color Calibrator automatically analyzes the result recorded on the production LED wall; subsequently, a 3D LUT is generated which can be applied to the LED controller, color management tool or Unreal Engine. The laborious activity of the past can now be done in a few minutes, in a simple and repeatable way.
Virtual sets for limitless film production
The main feature on which the Virtual Production tool set is based is in the ability to combine real sets and props with virtual backgrounds for unlimited creation of new worlds.
A film set which in turn becomes intelligent and adaptivein which the background does not lose detail and automatically adjusts with every movement of the camera, thanks to the support of Crystal LED panels and camera tracking systems that work with Unreal Engine.
The most advanced cameras in virtual cinematography complete the package of Virtual Production tools: VENICE and VENICE 2.
Using these devices ensures the capture of stunning colors with extreme detail, through recordings up to 8K and 16-bit colors that match the color space of Crystal LED panels. In addition, high-speed sensors offer exposure latitudes that allow natural tones to be captured regardless of lighting conditions.
The Virtual Production tool set is therefore a complete solution, with which it is possible to combine the state-of-the-art VENICE/VENICE 2 cameras and Crystal LED panels together with the remote controls, frames, software and user interface that Sony offers.
Reaching the post-production phase with the least number of interventions to do is the dream of all film production houses. Sony knows this and that’s why Virtual Production helps directors and cinematographers capture more content in-camera and add fewer elements in post-production.
Sony will make the initial Virtual Production Toolset available in the summer or by the end of 2023. In the meantime, exclusive stories and content shot with the new Virtual Production Toolset and with Sony VENICE are available.