Virtual Production
Wildfire was one of the first University level productions in Australia to fully utilise Virtual Production technology in a film. It allowed the Wildfire team to create a realistic and visceral simulation of what it is like to fight a bushfire - all whilst under the restriction of a small budget. Read more about how we combined traditional film techniques with this new technology to create the fire scenes from Wildfire. Also be sure to check out our Virtual Production Reel:
The led volume & unreal engine
The LED Volume in combination with Unreal Engine was the key to creating Wildfire's breathtaking fire scenes. It unlocked a world of possibilities for filming scenes that were both accurate to Andrew's story and cinematically engaging.
camera
Blending the physical and virtual worlds was one of the main challenges of Wildfire. The team used smoke and a shallow depth of field for most shots to better blend the physical foreground and virtual background. As a style choice, Wildfire used a combination of handheld 'shaky' camera moves and smooth dollies to explore the visual qualities of a bushfire in a new way.
Lighting
Lighting was a pivotal factor in creating a realistic interpretation of a bushfire. Without having a full wrap-around LED Volume, the lighting team had to match normal lights to the virtual background. This involved matching the direction, colour and intensity of the lights to the virtual world.
Art
Props and set decoration proved to be a pivotal element in creating a convincing representation of a bushfire. Whilst the LED Volume could project anything we wanted in the background, anything in front of the Volume, including the actor's costume and makeup, had to be carefully thought out to effectively 'extend' the world into the foreground.
