As a leading company in the media industry, Mo-Sys recognizes the importance of democratizing production through new technologies by lowering barriers of entry and providing access to valuable communities.
At the Mo-Sys Academy, we’re proud to put ourselves out there, creating real opportunities for people not just to experience virtual production, but to see for themselves how exciting and immersive the creative possibilities really are. We want to spark their creativity, inspiring them to inspire the world with it.
Recently, Mo-Sys Academy virtual production educator Eric Rigney collaborated with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles. With the help of FAME, their dining hall space was converted into a small greenscreen studio, and in one afternoon, we demonstrated to church members, young and old, how virtual production opens up possibilities they may have never otherwise imagined.
We showcased just how liberating virtual production is by bringing an animated elephant into the space – not many had expected to see an elephant in a church auditorium in LA. The many small fingerprints left on the church’s television monitor screen demonstrated joyful evidence of how the younger children attempted to pet the virtual pachyderm. “Mama, did you see the elephant?” In one simple demo, that 3D elephant showed future media artists the power of augmented reality.
From there we transitioned the audience over to live real-time compositing. Student actors converted their makeshift green screen studio into Grand Central Station. We even placed an animated mannequin actor on to the virtual train station lobby floor, a shiny white robotic figure that breathed heavily in a creepy manner. Everyone in the room saw first-hand just how cool – and how accessible – virtual productions can be.
The event showed parishioners just how quickly Mo-Sys tools like StarTracker and VP Pro Studio can be set up to create stunning results that might fire off some new ideas for engaging congregations with houses of worship, attracting the community’s youth.
But the real value of the day was to enrich and excite the community. Sue Beidleman, chair of the FAME commission on scholarship, education and training said “It was clear that the audience was very interested in the presentation, and you did not disappoint. I saw that some audience members approached you even before the program began!”
FAME’s Tsega Habte added “Our audience saw a skilled professional representing a technology platform most had never experienced. I am convinced that some of our lucky boys and girls are going to have such an opportunity for success that they will one day say, ‘If it was not for Mr Eric, where would I be now?’.”
Education is always a good thing. Tapping into the power and potential of communities that typically have less access to tools and opportunities is valuable and important. By sharing with all communities what is achievable in their own backyard, we help unlock tomorrow’s creative leaders to share their talents with the world. We all win.
