Dolphin Image Partners with ARwall to Bring Augmented Reality to Hollywood VFX

Orlando-based film studio Dolphin Image--founded in 2018 by Delphino Huang and several Full Sail University alumni--has partnered with ARwall, a Los Angeles-based company poised at the forefront of large-scale interactive technology. Dolphin Image recently closed a $2 million seed funding round to enter into a strategic partnership with ARwall and to develop ARwall's augmented reality (AR) motion picture effects tools.

The ARwall Effects System generates real-time CGI effects using a LED "smart wall," allowing filmmakers to capture VFX in-camera, without the need for a green screen or excessive post-production; this matches Hollywood-grade VFX without the Hollywood cost.

ARwall. L-R: Jade Byrd, Leon Hui, Patrick Tith, Rene Amador, Jocelyn Hsu, Will Hellwarth, Eric Navarrette

This technology allows studios like Dolphin Image to streamline its filmmaking process and budget, and turn their focus toward creating compelling stories. The ARwall and Dolphin Image partnership marks an important step toward making dynamic VFX implementations cost-effective, revolutionising modern film production processes.

Upcoming Dolphin Image projects include their debut, Hired Sword, Sucker Gun, a black-and-white steampunk action film. Huang cites his unique vision for the film as a perfect example of the entertainment gap Hollywood hasn’t filled. Huang notes, “Hollywood is trending toward remakes and adaptations due to its inherent lack of risk. But without risk, a story loses the edge that can make it memorable.”

Hired Sword, Sucker Gun is currently in pre-production along with several other projects, positioning central Florida as a future-driven, growing filmmaking community.