“Virtual Cinematography: Beyond Big Studio Production” by Balakrishnan and Diefenbach

In the current production environment, the ability to previsualize shots utilizing a virtual camera system requires expensive hardware and large motion capture spaces only available to large studio environments. With accessible hardware such as multitouch tablets and the latest video game motion controllers, there exists an opportunity to develop a new virtual camera system utilizing only consumer technologies and openly accessible game engines. The MobileVCS system is designed for directors, both amateur and professional, who wish to embrace the notion of Virtual Production for films and game cinematics without a big studio budget. The director will be able to compose and record camera motions in freespace and manipulate scene elements, such as characters & environments, through a real-time intuitive touch interface that is guided by system intelligence based on cinematic principles. By exploring these new immersive hybrid interface possibilities and democratizing this technology, all directors will now be able to achieve their creative vision by previsualizing their scenes and shot compositions without the need for expensive hardware or large motion capture volumes. MobileVCS has potential applications to other areas including game level design, real-time compositing & post-production, and architectural visualization.