Month: August 2022

Mo-Sys launches MoRail its high-performance motorized camera rail at IBC 2022  

Posted on by Claire

Mo-Sys Engineering announces the launch of its new high-performance motorized rail, MoRail, which enables cost-effective creative pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) and ENG camera movement within newsroom environments.

MoRail Product Intro 1256 x 900px

Primarily designed for use in newsrooms, which may include traditional studios, greenscreen, LED volume-based broadcast applications and corporate presentations, MoRail supports all major PTZ and ENG camera systems weighing up to 15kg, transforming regular static shots into repeatable creative shots with controlled parallax movement. The perspective change achieved dramatically improves on the existing static only movement of PTZ cameras, allowing producers to achieve accurate movements during a show that immerse viewers into the studio, without the need to invest in expensive and complex track-based dolly systems.

“With the introduction of MoRail we are opening the doors to a new level of creativity with PTZ cameras that has not been possible before,” said Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys. “Production teams can now benefit from accurate and repeatable PTZ movement, and beautifully smooth and immersive parallax movement, that helps even small news operations to create more immersive and engaging content.”

Included in the MoRail package is a powerful Mo-Sys controller that allows rail height and camera position to be set in addition to pan, tilt, zoom, focus and iris.

For a demonstration of MoRail, visit Mo-Sys at IBC2022 on stand 8.A49. MoRail will also be on view at the AOTO (7.C09) and Canon (11.C45) stands.

See more information about MoRail here >

Mo-Sys holds the key to excellence

Posted on by Claire

Mo-Sys is delighted to have been recognised by the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards Committee for the second year in a row – the first company to ever achieve this. We are one of the recipients of the highly coveted 2022 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence, alongside ARRI and AWS.

The HPA’s hotly contested Engineering Excellence Award rewards outstanding technical and creative ingenuity in media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archive. We are honoured to be recognised for our innovation by the panel of highly esteemed judges and stood out amid strong competition, and a record number of submissions, with our LEDKey solution, once more underling Mo-Sys’ status as a true pioneer in virtual production (VP).   

We are honoured that the judges saw fit to once again recognise Mo-Sys following on from the 2021 award given to our NearTime rendering workflow for virtual production by last year’s panel of judges. 

The award will be presented during the HPA’s annual Awards Gala on 17 November. 

Mo-Sys VP Training Captivates Students at Rise Up Summer School

Posted on by Claire

Mo-Sys is proud to have taken part in the first ever Rise Up Academy Summer School. From the Global Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, UK the Rise Up Summer School offered young students aged between 10 to 18 years a unique opportunity to meet industry experts and participate in interactive hands-on workshops.

Mo-Sys Rise-up Summer School

Guaranteeing valuable insight into the career paths available, the sessions were curated to help students explore virtual production and broadcast engineering, discover how to build a TV studio and also included an access-all-areas visit to an outside broadcast truck.

The free to attend Summer School was perfect for students curious to learn how productions can add eye catching graphics or shoot in unreal worlds through the power of Virtual Production, and those considering a career in media. Mo-Sys’ Academy team guided students through the creation of their own virtual production. The unmissable event ensured that everyone left with an understanding of VP and how major events such as the FA Cup Final is broadcast and why so many cameras are needed at an event like Glastonbury.

Supporting the event alongside sponsors BT Sport, ITV, Discovery and Sky, Mo-Sys’ Academy delivered practical Virtual Production workshops which gave students the opportunity to get hands-on experience using bleeding edge VP technology. The sessions explored ‘What is Virtual Production’ and introduced students to camera tracking, Unreal Engine, green screen and real time graphics all within a simulated professional TV set.

Read more about the inaugural event here. >

Mo-Sys Rise-up Summer School

Juliette Thymi, Mo-Sys Academy Manager commented “There is a strong synergy between Rise Up Summer School and Mo-Sys’ commitment to sharing knowledge and providing meaningful training opportunities for the next generation. All of the students who attended our 90-minute sessions were very engaged and wanted to learn more about Virtual Production, which is great to see! It was an amazing idea to host the Summer School and expose young students to the industry and our technologies. Regular secondary education doesn’t do that very well. We have had a great time, and we would love to support future events.”

Mo-Sys Academy provides the only industry recognised hands-on, small group practical virtual production training. Courses are delivered by Mo-Sys’ experienced Virtual Production Technicians, who have worked on projects for the likes of Netflix, ITV and BBC. Training supports students through small group activities designed to transfer knowledge and give practical virtual production experience. Mo-Sys Academy recently announced new course dates at its London HQ and Los Angeles refinery.

Click here for more info

Magicbox to Unveil the World’s First Mobile Virtual Production Studio

Posted on by Claire

Startup Magicbox has recently announced the launch of the first Mobile Virtual Production Superstudio™, a semi-trailer designed to make motion picture technology more accessible to any content producer.

The First Mobile Virtual Production Superstudio™

Magicbox CEO Brian T. Nowac said, “At Magicbox, our goal is to develop a platform of affordable solutions which democratize technology and make it accessible to any content producer. We are very excited to finally unveil our prototype Superstudio which we believe will revolutionize motion picture and video productions by making it easier to produce more creative content, faster, cheaper, and safer than ever possible before.”

As a strategic partner of the event, Mo-Sys will provide first sight of its new StarTracker Max and will be joined by many other technology partners showcasing prototypes and new products throughout the evening.

This exclusive launch event will take place on Friday, August 19 at Stargate Studios in LA. You can watch the reveal of the Magicbox by joining the live streamed event Friday night at 7:30 pm PST here>

Mo-Sys to demonstrate live broadcast and cinematic VP at IBC2022

Posted on by Claire

Mo-Sys Engineering is to lead the market with stunning demonstrations and critical collaborations at IBC2022. The demonstrations will focus on cutting-edge applications for broadcast and cinematic production.

IBC PR
Mo-Sys U50, Mo-Sys G30 and StarTracker Max

The premium European manufacturer Alfalite and its exceptional LED display Modularpix Pro 1.9mm, and ground-breaking 8-color fos/4 LED lighting solutions from ETC will showcase the state of the art in live Virtual Production, including a multi-camera setup. The cameras will feed into Mo-Sys VP Pro XR software, which builds on the power of the Unreal Engine to create a seamless augmentation of real and virtual elements. The Alfalite LED wall features the patented system ORIM that provides a viewing angle of 175 degrees and greater protection against physical impacts or water ingress during filming. This demonstration will include the unique Cinematic XR focus feature of VP Pro XR, which allows the focus puller to shift seamlessly from real objects to virtual elements in a single operation, enabling an important storytelling feature also in LED volumes.

The IBC 2022 stand will also feature a greenscreen studio, showing how the tools can be used in day-to-day broadcast production, such as for sports and news studios. Cameras will be tracked in position and orientation using StarTracker Max, the latest iteration of the Mo-Sys technology.  

Visitors to the stand will be able to experience the smooth precise motion of the heavy-duty Mo-Sys U50 remote head which will be shown with Fujifilm’s autofocus box lens UA107 AF and the Vinten 750i as a pan bar control.  Also featured will be the gyro-stabilized Mo-Sys G30 remote head, and the innovative new automated camera rail system that Mo-Sys will be launching at the show. The MoRail enables creative parallax shots featuring straight and curved tracks and is ideal for use in combination with PTZ cameras, like the Canon 4k unit in the Mo-Sys demonstration. 

“Virtual Production has become a central part of our industry, whether on premium movie shoots or in day-to-day live television studios,” said Michael Geissler, CEO of Mo-Sys. “As a pioneer and leader in this field, we continue to innovate to give moviemakers and broadcasters powerful functionality to produce quickly, with a minimum of post-production, and with outstanding creativity, as we will show at IBC this year.” 

“We are delighted to be back at IBC after the enforced break,” Geissler added. “You have to physically experience our products, not just to see the stunning results but to realize how easily they are achieved in the field. It is great to be able to showcase our technologies, and to talk to our users once again.”

Join Mo-Sys at IBC2022 on stand 8.A49.

Mo-Sys Announces Significant Collaboration with MR Factory

Posted on by Claire

Mo-Sys Engineering today announces a strategic partnership with MR Factory. 

MR Factory
MR Factory’s studio facilities in Madrid

The move brings together an unrivalled passion for Virtual Production (VP), innovation and manufacturing, with the craft and technical ability to achieve the world’s best results.

Led by company founder Oscar Orlarte Ruiz, who has mastered VP during a career spanning 30-years, MR Factory promises unlimited real-time creativity from its headquarters in Madrid, Spain. MR Factory is expert in the craft of leveraging outstanding, life-like results from VP, and shares Mo-Sys’ commitment to education and training.

Together with a strong ethos of combining technology and technique with creativity and talent, MR Factory has achieved truly ground-breaking advances in the fidelity of Virtual Production output.

The exclusive collaboration will see MR Factory contributing directly to Mo-Sys’ product development and innovation programs, providing valuable insight to further advance VP technologies. In addition, MR Factory will assist in further developing Mo-Sys Academy’s industry recognized Virtual Production training curriculum.

Michael Geissler, Mo-Sys CEO commented: “It gives me great pleasure to announce Mo-Sys’ collaboration with MR Factory. Oscar has been striving to achieve perfection in Virtual Production fidelity for over 30 years. I have developed VP technologies for 25 years, so there is a strong synergy. Like minds are coming together and combining experience to drive Virtual Production forward. Just like a racing driver, who provides feedback to improve the performance of the car. MR Factory will be a world-champion driver of Mo-Sys technology for the benefit of all Mo-Sys customers.”

Oscar Olarte Ruiz, MR Factory Co-Founder added: “Virtual Production has matured, and people expect totally believable, life-like results. Our collaboration with Mo-Sys combines the world’s best VP technologies with industry recognized hands-on training and the craft to achieve amazing results. We are also excited to be working with such an innovative team and together driving forward the development of Virtual Production solutions to advance our industry.”

MR Factory is set to gain unprecedented access to Mo-Sys technology stack, combining the best tools it needs from the best tool maker. The collaboration will ensure international visibility which is expected to drive demanding VP projects to MR Factory’s production facilities in Madrid. 

Mo-Sys will be exhibiting at IBC2022 on stand 8.A49.

RTS Young Technologist of the Year 2022

Posted on by Claire

Recently, Mo-Sys’ Florian Gallier joined a panel discussion on some of the key technologies and skills for the future of the industry at this year’s RTS Young Technologist of the Year Award.

Ahead of the awards presentation, a keynote speaker and panel discussion was held at the event focusing on the key technologies and skills for the future of the industry including remote production, image robotics and live broadcasts. The panel chaired by Muki Kulhan, Innovation Co-Lead IBC, included Claire Wilkie, Founder and Managing Director, Limitless Broadcast; Florian Gallier, Product Manager, Remote Production & Image Robotics, Mo-Sys Engineering Ltd and Krystel Richards, Broadcast IT Engineer, CNN, Chair of WISE Young Professionals’ Board.

Every year the standard of applications we receive continues to impress us, so much so that this year we took the decision to award two talented individuals with the RTS Young Technologist of the Year Award. Both Jahreal and Jonathan demonstrated to the jury not only the dynamic experience they have garnered so far in their careers, but the drive to move the industry and technology forwards and to be an integral part of the UK production community for years to come. Congratulations to Jahreal and Jonathan, and also to Andrew for receiving the Coffey Award

Terry Marsh, Chair of the RTS Young Technologist of the Year Award Jury

Read more here >

Producers: So You’ve Booked A Virtual Production? Here’s What’s Next

Posted on by Claire

Here’s what’s next…

Mo-Sys Engineering’s product marketing manager Stephen Gallagher talks to LLB about the key differences and how to train for a future of virtual production.

Virtual production offers tangible benefits to producers. From real-time creative freedoms, to accelerated speed of production, cost savings and logistical efficiencies, there are plenty of reasons to opt for a virtual production.

Take the all-important ‘golden hour’ at sunset or sunrise – in the real world that time is naturally limited, so producers have a short window of opportunity to get their shot and with that comes immense pressure on the entire crew. And for the producer in particular, delays translate to cost implications when things go wrong. In the virtual world, you have complete control, so the magic of golden hour can last all day long should you need it. Rain, wind and clouds are no longer the unpredictable enemy but creative choices. You might even opt to use an unreal scene from out of this world. Similarly, if you have scenes shot in the middle of the night, you no longer need the crew on set at 2am. You can recreate that look during normal working hours, meaning virtual productions gives you far more control of the environment.

Additionally, there’s a massive health and safety and risk assessment benefit. If you’re shooting a night-time scene with cast moving through woods, at height, underground or near water, you can now do that in a comfortable and safe studio environment for the crew and the talent. Which is appealing and can help productions secure first choice talent.

And what about when things go wrong and you need to reshoot a scene? Well, if you’re filming on a boat travelling along the river, moving the boat back to the start to film again is a huge drain on time and money. But on a virtual set, you simply go back to the previous scene with the click of a button.

All of these real-world complications can be solved with virtual production, making it a more efficient and affordable shoot.

So, what are the first steps that need to be taken to prepare for an upcoming virtual production?

One of the main differences between virtual production and traditional production is that you shift a lot of the load from post-production compositing into pre-production. By doing this prep work, you reduce the cost burden of post-production.

So, the first step is to ensure that all the key people involved, including the producer and director, get together much earlier on in the process to make essential decisions. Pre-viz and Tech-viz will increase in order that VFX shots can be captured in real-time, commonly called In-camera Visual Effects (ICVFX). But the savings in reduced post-production compositing time, reduced VFX errors, reduced takes, and minimised travel for cast and crew, more than compensate.

Right now, there is huge demand for LED Virtual Production. But of course, we still have Green and Blue Screen VP, and that isn’t going to disappear! Productions are drawn to LED because talent can interact in real-time with the virtual scene which may improve their performance and reduce takes. LED VP also adds beautiful life-like ‘scene spill’ around the outline of talent and scene reflections on any shiny surfaces, so it lends itself to shooting cars and Mandalorian styled characters.

Lighting is an important consideration with an LED VP shoot for two reasons. The first is that a LED volume requires external lighting to supplement the LED volume light in order to render correct skin tones. The second is that the virtual lights illuminating the virtual scene displayed in the LED volume, need to match the real lights on stage in order to blend together the two environments to create one seamless VFX shot.

You’re also going to have to think about the other skill sets you need around you to make all of this come together. It’s essential to have a VP Technician who understands camera tracking and the LED environment, along with a specialist in Unreal Engine to control your virtual scene, and to make scene element changes as requested by the Director.

What skills does a producer need for virtual production?

A producer’s skills are entirely transferable. It’s just about adapting your experience and skills to suit the virtual production workflow. And the greater understanding you have of the workflow, the better you’ll be able to utilise the technology.

Experience and training in virtual production is highly beneficial. At Mo-Sys Academy, for example, we run industry recognised Virtual Production training courses to help people understand how virtual productions come together and how to make the most of them.

In what cases would a virtual production work particularly well?

Virtual production is a really powerful additional tool that producers can utilise. It’s not a case of it taking over completely from traditional production but I think that a combination of real-world traditional production and virtual production combined can be a really smart way to maximise production value, drive efficiencies and reduce costs.

For example, you might not use virtual production for things like establishing shots (which are typically much wider shots to set the scene,) because you’d need such a huge studio. Instead, you might opt to shoot those in the real world, and then shoot the rest of your production, mid and close shots, with the talent on a virtual production set.

Virtual production works really well for VFX shots that would traditionally require the crew and cast to travel to exotic locations, or where multiple scenes are required which in a virtual production stage can be swapped very quickly.

Virtual production is a term that describes multiple shooting techniques that combine either tracked virtual graphics or plate video playback with a real studio or location, and ultimately, it’s about selecting the right technique for the right scene. Once understood, and with experienced team members to assist, virtual production offers Producers a whole new arsenal for delivering highly efficient VFX shoots.

Read the full article published by Little Black Book August 2, 2022