Frame remapping feature wins fans at Final Pixel Academy

Published by AV Magazine

Article by Guy Campos

Frame remapping, which is standard with Brompton Tessera SX40 and S8 LED video processors, emerged with flying colours in tests at a studio with its own virtual production skills academy.

Final Pixel, a global creative studio specialising in end-to-end virtual production, has worked with clients across film, TV, advertising, and corporate events to develop bespoke virtual production setups for each project.

In addition to working with international clients such as Discovery, Disney/ABC, and Shutterstock, the studio also recently launched the Final Pixel Academy which provides training in the latest virtual production skills and techniques.

To identify the best workflows and skill sets to master, Final Pixel frequently conducts industry tests with software and hardware solutions from Brompton Technology, disguise, Unreal Engine, and others. The studio recently ran several test shoots using Brompton’s new Frame Remapping technology, with results that exceeded expectations.

Standard with Brompton’s Tessera SX40 and S8 LED processors, Frame Remapping allows multiple cameras to see, track, and capture different content simultaneously when viewing the same LED screen. This enables filmmakers to realise benefits of multi-camera shoots on a virtual production set.

“Frame Remapping is based on the idea that, if you had multiple frustums, what if they overlapped? You could actually have them both on the wall at the same time, so that breaks down a huge barrier in a pretty significant way. It opens up more options where we’re meeting the filmmakers where they are, to allow them to do what they want with no limitations or workarounds,” said Daniel Warner, technical projects specialist at Brompton Technology.

Christopher McKenna, director and cofounder at Final Pixel, added: “We’ve done multiple two-camera shoots this year, and for us, time is money. When you’re doing a commercial, and your money clock is just ticking, to be able to shoot with two cameras you can get double the coverage, and we get the job done a lot faster. It’s a massive productivity shift; it’s huge for us.”

While Frame Remapping can enable each camera to see and capture a uniquely rendered virtual background with the correct perspective, it can also allow two cameras to capture a virtual background and a green screen simultaneously. This unlocks benefits such as accurate light and shadows and believable interaction with the on-screen content, as well as all the benefits of green screen, such as the ability to later add elements in post-production. While these used to require two separate shoots, Frame Remapping allows them to be combined all in one take.

“It’s pretty remarkable what Frame Remapping will open up for us going forward,” said James Belkin, director of photography at Final Pixel. “Especially with corporate clients and broadcast clients, the ability to capture dual virtual background and green screen background is a huge benefit, so that those clients can capture live but then also edit additional B-roll for future marketing content, or easily localise what’s on the screen for different markets.”

For more information: https://www.bromptontech.com/features/frameremapping