Charles Turtle - Virtual Production

Fellowship Year 1

 I am delighted to submit my personal online portfolio, an analytical and creative summary of my 8-month journey through the Final Pixel Academy's Virtual Production Fellowship. Over the past year, I was privileged to be mentored by James Codling, Nightsky Studio and the Final Pixel team within the "running a volume" cohort, undergoing deep learning in virtual production. This portfolio will capture my major learning accomplishments, demonstrate my technical and creative contributions to our final project, reflect on my own learning journey, and chart my career advancement in this vibrant industry.

"Yes you can do it, but do you need to do it in a volume?"

Ben Bentley - Nightsky Studios

1. Key Learning Outcomes

Before starting the fellowship, my understanding of virtual production was foundational, primarily based on an interest in its emerging role in film and television. I had some general knowledge of film production but lacked specific insights into the technical workflows, software, and collaborative dynamics unique to a virtual production environment.


After completing the fellowship and the assigned on-demand courses, my knowledge has expanded significantly, particularly in the following areas:


2. Demonstration of Creative Activities

Our final project, developed within Group B, aimed to integrate as many of the provided virtual production capabilities as possible. My contributions spanned creative conceptualization, technical execution, and on-set operation.

Project Title: Deserted

Key Creative and Technical Contributions:

  • Narrative Development & Pre-visualization: I actively participated in developing the narrative story, contributing to narrative and the Tech-vis. This involved translating creative ideas into actionable plans for the virtual production environment.

  • Tech Visualization & Volume Management: I was specifically tasked with creating a tech visualization of our shoot day. This involved planning camera movements, virtual set layouts, and understanding the technical limitations and possibilities of the virtual screen and volume available. This role also encompassed managing the team's creative ideas within these technical constraints, ensuring feasibility and optimizing for the virtual production pipeline.

  • Virtual Art Department (VAD) Contributions:

    • Driving Plates (Pre-rendered Driving Locations): I assisted the VAD in creating and integrating the car tunnel scene and supervising the neon city scene as pre-rendered driving plates. This involved working with VAD in creating 3D assets, lighting set ups, and camera paths within Unreal Engine to create realistic and dynamic virtual backgrounds for our car scene.

    • Desert Scene Environments: I contributed to the creative direction of day and night scenes in a desert setting, suggesting different locations within the virtual set. This showcased our teams ability to achieve "Multiple Locations in 1 Day" by manipulating lighting, time of day, and environmental elements within a single virtual environment.


  • On-Set Roles:

    • VP Supervisor (Car Process Shoot Day): On the first shoot day, I held the crucial role of Assistant VP Supervisor. This involved shadowing the VP Sup on the technical setup, learning the role that ensures smooth operation of the virtual production workflow, observing troubleshooting any issues, and understanding the liaising between the creative team and technical operators to achieve the desired shots.

    • Technical Operator for Unreal Engine (Desert Scene Shoot Day): On the second shoot day, I was the Technical Operator for Unreal Engine. My responsibilities included loading and managing the Unreal Engine environments, adjusting lighting and environmental parameters in real-time, and responding to the director's and cinematographer's requests to the VP Sup relayed to me to achieve the desired visual outcomes on the LED volume.


Understanding and Use of Game Engines for Virtual Production: I now have a solid grasp of Unreal Engine fundamentals, specifically how it facilitates in-engine and in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) pipelines. This includes understanding real-time rendering, material creation, lighting, and scene assembly within the engine. My participation in the "Introduction to Unreal Engine for Virtual Production" and "Technical Artist - Level 1" courses solidified this understanding.

  • Operating Within a Virtual Production Volume: Through hands-on experience, particularly as a Assistant VP Supervisor on the car process shoot day and a Technical Operator for Unreal Engine on the desert scene shoot day, I gained practical knowledge of setting up, operating, and troubleshooting within a virtual production volume. This encompasses understanding LED wall configurations, camera tracking systems, and the overall ICVFX workflow from pre-production to on-set execution. The "Stage Operator for VP - Level 1" and "Stage Technician for VP - Level 1" courses provided the theoretical underpinning for this practical experience.

  • Virtual Art Creation and Implementation: I actively contributed to the Virtual Art Department (VAD), creating Unreal Engine environments for both the car and desert scenes. This involved understanding asset optimization, real-time lighting, and integrating assets into a functional virtual set. This experience directly relates to integrating 3D assets optimized for virtual production pipelines.

  • Technical Workflow of Virtual Production: I've gained a comprehensive understanding of the entire technical workflow, from initial concept and pre-visualization to on-set execution and post-production integration. This includes recognizing the interplay between various software, hardware, and team roles within a virtual production environment.

  • Collaborative Workflows and Communication: Working within Group B, I learned the importance of effective communication and collaboration with diverse team members, including film professionals, students, and individuals from various industry specialisms. My role in creating a tech visualization of the shoot day and managing team ideas within the available virtual screen and volume was crucial in understanding how a creative production crew, schedule, and communication work within virtual production.

  • Integrating Innovative Strategies: Our final project's incorporation of "Driving plates," "Scene Animation," and "Multiple Locations in 1 Day" demonstrates an understanding of how to integrate innovative strategies based on film production and 3D animation techniques to solve creative and logistical challenges.


3. Critical Reflection on My Own Personal Learning Journey

My expectations for the Final Pixel Academy fellowship were primarily to gain a foundational understanding of virtual production and to see how the technology was being applied in a practical setting. I anticipated a steep learning curve, especially given my background in short form 3d animation, character animation and 3d modeling.

The fellowship not only met but significantly exceeded these initial expectations. I was particularly impressed by the depth of knowledge shared by our mentor, James Codling, and his willingness to patiently answer every question, which I had many. The hands-on nature of the program, culminating in the collaborative final project, was invaluable. I expected to learn about the theory, but the opportunity to actively participate in building environments and operating on a live set provided a level of experiential learning that no textbook could ever offer.

One aspect that particularly resonated with me was the sheer collaborative effort required in virtual production which is not far from a traditional film studio shoot . From storyboarding to the final shoot, every department's contribution was intricately linked. My role in managing ideas and creating a tech visualization highlighted the critical need for clear communication and adaptation in a fast-paced environment. I also found the balance between creative freedom and technical constraints to be a fascinating challenge, pushing me to think innovatively within the parameters of the virtual volume. The fellowship demystified many aspects of virtual production for me, turning abstract concepts into tangible skills and a clear understanding of its potential.


“My journey has been a whirlwind of hands-on experience, where every challenge has ignited a profound sense of joy in solving complex problems and pushing creative boundaries. It's truly amazing to see ideas transform from initial concepts into tangible realities, constantly evolving and surprising even me with their impact.” Charles Turtle - SUUM.studio

4. Career Development Pathway

The Final Pixel Academy fellowship has profoundly shaped my career aspirations, firmly pointing me towards a future in virtual production. My next steps will focus on solidifying the skills I've gained and expanding my expertise to contribute effectively to virtual production projects.

Short-Term Goals (Next 6-12 Months):

  1. Deepen Unreal Engine Proficiency: Focus on advanced Unreal Engine features relevant to virtual production, such as more complex material creation, advanced lighting techniques (e.g., Lumen, Nanite), sequencer, and potentially blueprint scripting for interactive elements. I plan to explore more advanced techniques or tutorials in these areas.

  2. Portfolio Enhancement: Continuously update and refine my digital portfolio with new projects, personal explorations, and any further work I undertake. 

  3. Networking & Industry Engagement: Actively participate in virtual production communities, attend industry events (webinars, conferences), and connect with professionals in the field to stay abreast of new developments and identify potential opportunities.

  4. Specialized Skill Development: Explore one or two specific areas within virtual production that particularly interest me, such as real-time VFX, virtual camera operations, or bespoke asset optimization techniques, to develop a niche expertise.

  5. Contribute to Independent Projects: Seek out opportunities to work on smaller, independent virtual production projects or collaborations to gain more practical experience in diverse scenarios and build a wider network.

Long-Term Goals (Next 1-3 Years):

  1. Become a Proficient Virtual Production Technical Artist/Operator: My goal is to become a highly competent and sought-after technical artist or stage operator within a virtual production environment, capable of solving complex on-set challenges and utilising optimized bespoke workflows.

  2. Contribute to Major Virtual Production Projects: Work on larger-scale film, television, or commercial projects utilizing virtual production, applying my skills to contribute to cutting-edge content creation.

  3. Mentor and Share Knowledge: As my expertise grows, I aspire to contribute to the virtual production community by potentially mentoring new entrants or sharing my knowledge through workshops or presentations.

  4. Explore Innovative Applications: Continuously research and experiment with emerging technologies and innovative applications within virtual production, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

  5. Leadership Role in Virtual Production: Ultimately, I aim to progress into a leadership role within a virtual production team, potentially overseeing technical pipelines or managing virtual art department efforts on significant productions.