With work that has been seen in series ranging from G.L.O.W. and Orange is the New Black on Netflix, to This Is Us on NBC, and CBS’s Hawaii 5-0 and the upcoming All Rise, CBS’ technology group unveiled its new name and logo, as well as newly enhanced virtual production capabilities that push the boundaries of TV production.
Carrying more than 25 years of experience producing visual effects and developing production technology solutions, the group previously known as CBS Digital has transformed itself into CBS VFX, led by executive creative director Craig Weiss and EP George Bloom.
In November, CBS VFX will move from its current home at CBS Television Center, to a headquarters at the network’s Studio City production center, which will allow CBS VFX to better meet a rising demand for its cost-saving, flexible virtual production solutions. Those include “Parallax,” CBS VFX’s proprietary virtual production system that has been utilized by dozens of series and production teams. The power of “Parallax” allows three-dimensional virtual locations to have the three-dimensional physics and intricate level of detail as real-world locations, providing a director with the freedom to shoot from any angle and in any setting without the need for traveling to a physical location.
“The enormous demand for series content, led by the growth of streaming services, has reached an inflection point where the cost of shooting on location is a budgetary concern,” Weiss said. “The use of virtual locations offers an enormously creative way to save time and money with an end result that is indistinguishable to the viewer yet transformative for cast and crew.”
CBS VFX’s digital, volumetric capture of real-world sets and locations means that a director and DP can almost instantly pre-visualize scenes, determining lenses and composition ahead of time with this “virtual scouting” tool. The CBS VFX system is also entirely portable, for use on a soundstage or in a production office.
CBS VFX continues to build a huge virtual library of digital sets and locations, Bloom added. “We bring the world to the stage,” he said. “Volumetric locations are more than a temporary commodity, they are permanent tools that can be used over and over, easily adapted and changed.”
Bloom described a recent production that required five separate and distinct locations. Once these real-world locations were digitally captured in three dimensions, they were all shot on a single production day while the cast and crew never left a sole soundstage used to replicate all of the locations.
In addition to its work in virtual production, CBS VFX has recently created visual effects for multiple series, including Showtime’s Black Monday and ABC’s Modern Family; developed real-time pre-viz software that has been implemented by multiple productions; and produced an Emmy®-nominated Stranger Things virtual reality experience.
CBS VFX maintains a dedicated virtual production soundstage, and its team is available to television production professionals for live demonstrations of virtual production, digital set extension and real-time pre-viz technologies.
“Scandal” cast will reunite for online script reading for hurricane relief in western North Carolina
The cast of ABC's hit political drama "Scandal" may need to brush up on their snappy, speedy delivery known as "Scandal-pace," because they're reuniting for a good cause. Its stars including Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and Bellamy Young will take part in a live virtual script reading on Nov. 17 to raise money for hurricane relief in western North Carolina.
Beginning Friday, fans can go online and donate to reserve a spot for the online reading. Proceeds will benefit United Way of North Carolina. Everyone who donates will be able to take part in a virtual pre-event with the cast and Shonda Rhimes will give an introduction.
Additional guest stars will also be announced. The online fundraising platform Prizeo is also holding a contest where one person who donates online via their site will be selected to read a role from the script with the actors. The winner should not worry about the "Scandal"-pace, assured Young over Zoom.
"Whomever the lucky reader is can read at whatever pace they want," she said.
Young, who played Mellie Young, the first lady and later Republican presidential nominee on "Scandal," was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. She came up with the idea for the effort with a friend and took it to her fellow "Scandal" actors, who all jumped on board. Young said this is the first script reading the cast has all done together since the show ended after seven seasons in 2018.
Which episode they will be reading has not been announced yet.
Young said it's "been devastating" to see so many parts of her hometown badly damaged by Hurricane Helene, which ravaged western North Carolina one month ago.
To research the best use for donations, Young spoke with numerous political leaders, including North... Read More