Project Overview

"The Call of Ice" was an ambitious high-fantasy short film produced at USC School of Cinematic Arts, inspired by epic sagas like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. The story follows an elven princess seeking an amulet that can spawn a dragon to avenge her village, which was burned to the ground by enemies.

This project represented a groundbreaking approach to filmmaking at USC, utilizing LED wall virtual production technology to create immersive fantasy environments that would traditionally require millions in location shooting, set construction, and visual effects. By leveraging this emerging technology, we were able to bring this ambitious vision to life with a volunteer crew and a fraction of the traditional budget.

As the first LED wall project at USC, our team faced the dual challenge of both creating a compelling fantasy world and pioneering technical workflows that had never been attempted at the school before.

Official trailer for "The Call of Ice"

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Goal

Create an ambitious fantasy short film using virtual production to dramatically reduce costs while maintaining high production value.

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Timeline

August - December 2023 (5 months from pre-production to completion)

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Role

Art Department, Virtual Art Department (VAD), and Production Design Lead

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Tools & Technologies

LED Wall, Unreal Engine, Camera Tracking System (Motive), Physical Set Elements, Snow Machines

Challenge & Solution

The Challenge

Creating a high-fantasy production on a university scale presented significant obstacles that required innovative solutions and adaptive problem-solving:

Budget constraints that made traditional fantasy filmmaking (locations, props, VFX) prohibitively expensive
Operating complex LED wall technology that was being used for the first time at USC
Taking on the Production Design role with limited prior experience in that specific area
Integrating physical and digital elements seamlessly to create convincing environments
Technical failures including pixel deaths, shader issues, and camera tracking malfunctions

The Solution

We embraced a combination of technological innovation and practical problem-solving to overcome these challenges:

Leveraged LED wall technology to create immersive digital environments at a fraction of traditional costs
Applied my existing art department skills while accepting guidance from production design faculty
Used a blend of physical and digital snow elements to create a cohesive winter environment
Developed technical workarounds for LED wall issues, including using green screen as backup when systems failed
Drew upon team expertise and faculty guidance to navigate unfamiliar territory

Behind the scenes on the LED volume set, showing the blend of physical and digital elements

Process & Methodology

Our approach to this pioneering project combined traditional production techniques with cutting-edge virtual production methods, requiring adaptability and creative problem-solving at every stage.

1

Environment Conceptualization

We began with conceptualizing the fantasy environments needed for our elven princess story. The VAD team worked on digital environments in Unreal Engine while I focused on identifying physical elements that would be needed on set to complement the digital world.

2

Physical & Digital Element Integration

I sourced and set up physical elements including fake snow, columns, and props that would blend with the digital environments. This required close coordination with the VAD team to ensure visual consistency between physical and digital components, particularly for the snow environments which appeared in both realms.

3

Technical Problem-Solving

Throughout production, we encountered numerous technical challenges including LED pixel failures, shader rendering issues, and camera tracking malfunctions. We developed contingency plans, such as switching to green screen methods when the LED wall system failed completely, ensuring the production could continue despite technical setbacks.

4

Special Effects Coordination

I managed the snow machine for atmospheric effects, creating a cohesive winter environment that bridged the digital backdrops with the physical set. This required careful timing and coordination with camera movements and actor performances to enhance the fantasy world's immersion.

Results & Impact

Despite the numerous technical and creative challenges, our team successfully produced USC School of Cinematic Arts' first-ever LED wall project, creating a fantasy short film that would have been financially impossible using traditional methods.

1st

LED Wall Project at USC

Pioneered new virtual production workflows that future USC projects can learn from and build upon.

~95%

Cost Reduction

Achieved massive cost savings compared to traditional location shooting and set construction for fantasy environments.

3+

Immersive Environments

Created multiple high-fantasy environments that would have been prohibitively expensive or impossible to shoot on location.

Key Achievements

Technical Innovation: Successfully implemented LED wall technology in a university setting, overcoming numerous technical challenges through creative problem-solving.
Skill Development: Adapted to the Production Design role despite limited prior experience, translating existing art department skills and learning new ones through faculty guidance.
Seamless Integration: Created convincing environments by blending physical elements (props, snow, set pieces) with digital backdrops to enhance the viewer's immersion.
Memorable Scenes: The dragon scene in particular showcased the potential of the technology, creating a memorable fantasy moment that would have required extensive VFX in a traditional production.

Reflection & Learnings

What Worked Well

Faculty guidance was instrumental in navigating unfamiliar production design territory
The integration of physical snow elements with digital environments created a cohesive visual experience
Team adaptability allowed us to continue filming despite technical challenges

Challenges & Solutions

LED wall technical failures were addressed by switching to green screen solutions when necessary
Camera tracking issues were managed through careful shot planning and avoiding problematic setups
Limited production design experience was overcome through skill translation from prior art department work

Key Learnings for Future Projects

Avoid moiré patterns by never focusing the camera directly on the LED wall
Thorough preparation is essential, particularly for complex technical setups
Assemble a compatible team with complementary skills for challenging productions

Personal Takeaway

Working on "The Call of Ice" pushed me far outside my comfort zone, particularly in taking on production design responsibilities. While challenging, this experience reinforced that being adaptable and open to guidance are essential traits for success in innovative projects. The experience of working with cutting-edge virtual production technology has broadened my skillset and given me unique insights into the future of filmmaking.