The Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN), in collaboration with Prox & Reverie and Screen Yorkshire is offering an opportunity for up to three SMEs from the Yorkshire and Humber region to supercharge understanding and use of Virtual Production in their projects and to develop critical understanding of the creative and commercial value of virtual production and real-time technologies.

Applications closed on 15th March 2022. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview via zoom on 21st March. For any enquiries, please email: enquiries@screen-network.org.uk with Virtual Production Programme Question in the subject line.

Virtual Production [VP] is an expanding range of techniques and approaches that use a suite of software tools, and techniques to enable filmmakers to combine live action footage and computer graphics in real-time.

Virtual Production is scaling at pace, and has already seen UK backing through DIT, DCMS, and ScreenSkills, to ensure the UK is a global centre of excellence in the field. It is also well documented that by 2026, Virtual Production will become an established part of the production process.

Adoption of Virtual Production can support cost savings for TV and film productions and accelerated time to market, whilst unlocking new workflows and techniques, and new creative possibilities. Changes within production workflows brings much of the production process up the content creation pipeline to the pre-production stage, which is where this Programme will be focusing efforts. It will demonstrate how virtual technology tools can help in visualising the creative ambition of a project before it reaches the filming stage of production.

Virtual Production uses established game engine platforms such as Unity and Unreal Engine. This environment enables filmmakers to enhance their creativity on-set, changing environments in real-time in a matter of moments, offering more creative freedom and minimising the need to ‘fix it in post’. It offers practical methods within any production, and levels of creative ambition to add Virtual Production workflows to the development and creation of content.

The filmmaking landscape is evolving. As immersive technologies leverage realtime game engines to open up new techniques for filmmakers, Virtual Production is rapidly becoming an established way of working at all stages of production – developing new projects, pre-production and on set – to expand creative vision. It also allows for time and cost savings through more and closer collaboration between creative and technical teams, improves the use and quality of VFX, and reduces the need to travel between physical locations.

Now, the latest developments in Virtual Production mean that teams and heads of department can begin to collaborate earlier in the pre-development process, from anywhere in the world. The new VP tools can help to communicate the original creator’s vision more directly for collaborators, stakeholders and funders looking to commission film and television projects into production.

Remote Control is designed to give creative teams a chance to access and learn these new previsualisation tools and processes, to help accelerate their vision toward full production.

Following a competitive application process, the successful applicants will commit to a programme of activities spread out over the space of 4 – 5 months and will receive:

• Intensive hands-on Virtual Production workshop training at Prox & Reverie’s state-of-the-art immersive studio, The Forge, based in Doncaster South Yorkshire
• Guided sessions within The Forge, in immersive World Building, interactive real time game engine for screen, performance capture, Volumetric Video and virtual camera techniques
• Mobile VR hardware kits and collaborative World Building platform for the teams to work remotely on their production development activities, ready for sessions within The Forge
• An opportunity to conduct their own project with guidance by Prox & Reverie experts in hands-on sessions in The Forge and in VP remote collaborative sessions.

By the end of the programme, participants will have:

• Learned skills and knowledge to take their vision further using Virtual Production techniques
• A suite of visual materials for pitching their project toward production
• 3D assets and reference materials that can be moved directly into the production process

To apply, teams must have existing production materials and an established core production team. (See FAQ’s below)

Successful applicants will not receive any direct cash funding for this programme of activity, SIGN will fund the facilitators and programme delivery. Successful applicants will be expected to commit to the programme timeline, and also cover the cost of their own time and any travel relating to their participation in the programme.

Applications Open: 15 February
Applications close: 15 March, midday
Shortlisting: 18 March
Zoom Interviews: 21 March
Notification of award and training agreement sent: 25 March
Programme start: 11 April 2022

Workshop dates

• Workshop 1 – W/C 25 April 2022
• Workshop 2 – W/C 23 May 2022
• Workshop 3 – W/C 25 July 2022

Evaluation Period: 1 – 26 August 2022
Programme end: 26 August 2022

• Participants in the Programme must be no larger than a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) – definitions here and must be eligible to receive ‘minimal financial assistance’ under the UK Subsidy Control Bill (see further information in the FAQs section below).
• SMEs must be a TV or Film Production company active and based in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
• SMEs must be willing to engage in evaluation activities associated with the programme.
• SMEs must be committed to diversity and inclusivity in their working practice.
• SMEs must be willing and able to contribute time and resources to the company’s project and fully participate in all aspects of the Programme, attending the workshops as dated above.
• Contributors from a company and it’s collaborating partners should include roles from within the creative production team, ideally to include 3 to 4 of the following: Showrunner/Writer, Director, Producer, Production Designer, Art Director or VFX Supervisor.
• The project should be at the late development or early pre-production phase, the script and budget should be locked down and ideally there will be early stage designs and set drawings for the project. Ideally a VFX supervisor will also be on board.

We will ask you to complete and sign a formal eligibility check in addition to the assessment of the main project, and any businesses will be asked to supply baseline information about the company.

For any enquiries, please email: enquiries@screen-network.org.uk with Virtual Production Programme Question in the subject line.

The Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) is a unique, business-facing initiative supporting the TV, film, games and digital industries in Yorkshire and the Humber. SIGN aims to make this region the UK’s centre for digital creativity, and a model of diverse and inclusive activity. In order to do this, SIGN connects companies, support agencies and universities through a programme of training, business development, research and evaluation.

SIGN is a £6.4M project funded by Research England, the University of York, and its partners. The University of York leads the initiative, working with Screen Yorkshire and eight other Yorkshire universities. An extensive network of collaboration ensures that SIGN is equipped to deliver maximum impact across the region.

Remote Control is managed by the Business Support Workstream of the SIGN programme. The aim of the scheme is to enable SMEs in the Yorkshire and the Humber region to access business development opportunities and training in the area of Virtual Production.

Remote Control is delivered in partnership with:

Prox & Reverie is a next-generation immersive media, product development and technology Company. They specialise in world-building tools for Directors, Producers and Artists to explore their creative vision in new ways, for screen and location based themed attractions. Their studio facility The Forge, is a new class of studio that fuses Enterprise class metaverse simulation, Virtual Production pipelines for screen, and prototyping labs for developing tactile, multi-user XR experiences.

The Forge allows content creators to step into their story worlds earlier, collaborate with production teams around the globe, and then deliver their vision for screen, location based XR, and mobile VR/AR as a cohesive cross-media delivery. Prox and Reverie will be delivering the programme for SIGN.

Screen Yorkshire is the engine that drives the film and TV industries in Yorkshire and Humber. Their Film Office is staffed by industry professionals and supports productions from all over the world that want to film in the region. We designed and facilitate the Yorkshire Content Fund that provides production finance to encourage projects to shoot within the region.

In addition, we deliver ground-breaking training and development programmes to foster talent and build a skilled, versatile and diverse workforce. National partners have included ScreenSkills, National Film & Television School and BFI. Screen Yorkshire will be supporting the recruitment and selection of the companies involved in the Programme.