Production and Technology: Embracing Neural Radiance Fields Imaging with José M Norton

José started out in the post-production world, cutting commercials for MTV, Mercedes, L’Oreal, Kia, and Coca Cola. His love for VFX started early on and he began learning After Effects in his teens. Over the years, he’s created VFX for music videos, commercials, shorts and features alike.  

Post-production gave him the background he needed to direct the visually inventive films he creates today. After years in the post world, Norton directed an unofficial music video full of VFX about a possessed pair of shoes. It grabbed the attention of some influential filmmakers and won a few awards, introducing him to the LA music video scene.  

With a production company signing, José decided to quit his full-time editing job and take a leap of faith to Hollywood. What followed was an exciting debut in the music video world, garnering everything from 'Top new director' spots, 'Best of the Month' videos, SXSW and multiple other official festival selections. Ironically, his Vimeo Staff-picked music video for Danny Brown (a rapper known for enjoying his pot) booked him his first commercial, an anti-weed PSA. 

Soon after, José directed a viral commercial for Nike featuring Neymar Jr., and has since worked for brands like Google, Playboy Fragrances, and Vodafone in the US and around the world. Throughout the years one thing is certain, his passion for VFX and their ability to create magic on screen has only gotten stronger.

LBB> Can you talk us through one or two of the most exciting recent productions that you’ve been involved in that you think had a really interesting innovation or technological aspect to them?

José> Picture North spearheaded the making of one of the first commercials to be shot using Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) imaging: McDonald’s spot for Lunar New Year 2023 in collaboration with influencer Karen X Cheng. After taking thousands of images of a frozen moment in time, we were able to utilise AI to create a complete 3D scene with realistic, interactive light. If you moved throughout the scene, the reflections would change depending on the angle it was viewed from - just like in real life, which has never been done before. 

We also used virtual production to audition camera moves in this virtual scene inside Unreal Engine. The client and agency were all able to see playback of proposed camera moves for our final scene - in real-time. We believe the closer virtual production can be to real physical production, the more accessible the technology will be. In essence, putting a motion tracker on a real dolly and having an operator move it versus a virtual production tech with a mouse. If we can bridge that divide, we’ll have a more familiar environment and a lower learning curve. The thing to keep in mind with virtual production is that all of the usual CG work happens in pre-pro so that when you shoot, you’re actually shooting final pixels on a LED volume.

LBB> What are the technologies that you have your eye on that either are having a big impact on how production is done - or have the potential to change things in a big way?

José> I think it’s clear to everyone that AI-generated images will have a massive impact on production from the concept stages, through pre-production, and all the way to visual effects. Professionals are using AI to generate still and moving images, but the results can be hit or miss. However, using NeRF imagery to capture 3D photorealistic sets and locations for commercials is a ground breaking use of AI. Visual effects artists are already using generative AI to create clean plates and remove objects and people from shots. These are pretty viable options right now. 

Like it or not, AI is here to stay. If you can find ways for it to help you, it can be a huge time-saver as well as an unprecedented creative tool. At the same time, the advent of real-time computer graphics with software like Unreal Engine is accelerating the speed of CG projects, making the speed at which you can iterate shots pretty incredible. There’s a quiet revolution in the democratisation of CG content happening right now.