Pioneering VP Film Techniques on Greentea Peng Music Video

As virtual production continues to evolve, so too does the industry-wide conversation regarding the metaverse. Given the potential for crafting immersive and intricate digital worlds, what does this mean for how brands should approach their Metaverse strategies? And why is it essential to have a strategy for the Metaverse in the first place? In collaboration with LBB, Unreal Engine is sponsoring the ‘Virtual Production’ channel, where we will be speaking with some of the industry’s most forward-thinking and innovative minds to explore some of the biggest questions surrounding this new way of working. 

In this interview, LBB speaks with Stink Films director Felix Brady who discusses directing a virtual shoot and pushing the limits of LED volumes on his music video for Greentea Peng’s “Look To Him”. 

The promo takes audiences on a journey that blurs reality with Greentea Peng as the omniscient narrator from afar. Filmed between London and Latvia on Europe’s largest LED studio, Felix utilised never-done-before filming techniques involving precise 3D mapping, cars on rotating turntables, custom algorithms, and virtual environments built for The Matrix supplied by the gaming giant EPIC Games.

LBB> Do you think directing with a real-time engine or in virtual production offers filmmakers new creative capabilities? If so, what and how?

Flex> ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. It might not be for everyone, some artists prefer watercolour to oil paints. Virtual production is like a power drill - there’s a million different drill bits and attachments that fit an array of needs. It's a tool that requires practice in order to fully understand its capabilities. 

The most exciting part for me is having the ability to create literally anything I want. I can make a Greek acropolis set inside a valley flanked by mountains with a statue of Athena peering at us from behind a ridge backlit by a low orange sun that sets when I tell it to. If I wanted to do that in real life I would need to scout a location, hire a crew, pray the weather holds out and still only have a 10 minutes window of perfect sunlight. It would cost an arm and leg and I’d probably end up missing the first shot, anyway. An idea like that would be immediately shot down by any agency, but with VP it's not even a risk. I want creatives to hear me when I say bring me your wildest, completely unrealistic ideas - I will make them happen.

LBB> In this shoot you were actually moving the set rather than the cameras. What was that like in practice and how did you make it possible both physically and digitally?

Felix> Originally I didn’t even think of doing this effect in VP because I figured it was way out of our budget. So first I tried to make a bespoke rig that was basically a massive spinning camera arm on top of a moving van that I could move safely and statically in a studio with the talent. It was going to be a nightmare so we axed it. Then I started considering VP, but the issue was the VP studio is only a semi circle and I needed a full circle. How do I CREATE THAT??? AH, I could turn the car on a lazy Susan and rig the background to match it. Oh wait but the car needs to be going forward at 38mph... 

I decided to propose the theory to the operators at LED Unit in Latvia (who I’d worked with before). They tested it and in theory Oyas, the operator, was able to set a 38mph path down the digital road, use sensors to track the rotation of the turntable, and spit that data back out to the environment so it also rotated, thus imitating an orbiting camera in motion! 

Of course with any maverick technique we came across issues - if we had a glitch - we would all just shrug at each other and proceed to reboot the system. Some things we could always explain but we accepted that and just rolled with it. It’s all learning for me and each fault is a troubleshooting opportunity that makes my next job better.

LBB> How also did the music then play into all of this?

Felix> The song is about tapping into source energy and ignoring outside inspiration because all you need can be found within yourself, BELIEVE! The two men dancing/fighting represent our two sides, anxious and daring. The car is an analogy of life being relentless and ever moving, it’s this foundational thing we can’t jump off. GreenTea is our omniscient narrator from afar, our breathing space, our reflection.

LBB> How did you approach pre-production for this project? Was it greatly different to how you might normally work?

Felix> Well first I had to buy a powerful computer with a collaborator, Nico Desola, an Unreal Engine artist-in-training and my longtime graphic designer. Between us we could bypass typical virtual production prep and download the environment ourselves. We could then recreate the ginormous model in 3D - even tap in the DoP via Zoom and screenshare. It all felt incredibly modern.  

Something new I was really keen to put into action was combining stunt and dance choreography. To achieve this I paired dance choreographer, Johnny Viecco, with stunt choreographer, Renaud Favero. It was like a double date - both nervous not to step on each other's toes. It worked out incredibly well and the outcome is a unique blend of emotion and aggression which was exactly my aim for this song.

We had no money but needed to rehearse on a turntable. Luckily our producer, Andrew Rawson, had a friend, Matt Strange, at Armoury FX who kindly offered us his. We drove an hour and arrived in what I can only describe as an apocalypse ready compound - the entrance was flanked by an anti aircraft gun and we were met by some sort of wolf dog. Us, five city boys, jumped out the car and were promptly hurried into a bunker whereupon we were given a tour of the very well stocked armoury. Floaty dancers next to miniguns will be a sight I’ll never forget.

LBB> You also shot on an LED volume for Assassin's Creed 15th Anniversary film. In your experience what are the biggest challenges of shooting on LED volumes and what is the most enjoyable?

Felix> Honestly the tech has had an update since that job. For Assassin's Creed we were working in Unreal 4 but on Greentea Peng it was Unreal 5. For my next film, no doubt it will be 5.5.

The tech is moving that fast. 

Assassin's Creed also used a completely new technique for LED volumes - we hardwired a motion control bot into the screen to achieve dynamic fast movements. LED units are known for their inability to keep up with fast camera moves, for example, you cannot do any wippy camera movements without latency on the screen. My hack for that was to pre-program the camera move through a bolt system. No one had really done that before, especially in the way we were doing it. It came out great with no lag at all, but in hindsight I should have built up the set more on the edges to hide the join between set and screen.

I love the IDEA of virtual production and its potential. But it’s totally unenjoyable when you have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for an amendment to the environment. However, I know all that’s going to change soon. The next update will be faster and smoother so to me it’s all training.

LBB> What are your tips for filmmakers wishing to test the creative boundaries of shooting virtual productions or using LED volume sets?

Felix> PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE. You can’t just arrive and expect to play God. Try to do as much on your end before you turn up to the studio like downloading Unreal Engine and start playing around. It will soon click. 

LBB> How would you like to see filmmaking in virtual production develop? Is there anything you think we (as a creative industry) should be experimenting with more in order to move it forward?

Felix> I would like to see virtual production become widely accepted and understood in the overall consciousness of filmmakers. It feels like Sinclair trying to introduce his electric car - people may just not be ready for it yet. I strongly disagree. I think if you get your head around it, VP can be an essential tool in making a world you never thought possible. I’m not interested in McDonald's commercial restaurant interiors. I am talking EXPANSIVE dramatic locations as backdrops for scenes, helicopter pads nestled in the clouds, seaship battles on Europa’s frozen seas, car chases inside a packed city. This is all possible, you just have to pick up the brush.