As the world slowly emerges from the pandemic, a new survey of over 100 media industry executives has found that almost 70 per cent anticipate expanding virtual production, and more than 60 per cent will increase their use of remote collaboration tools and cloud-based technologies even after the pandemic has ended.
The survey, conducted by telecommunications, media and technology consulting firm Altman Solon, spoke to industry executives across productions in 30+ countries, spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
It found:
- Soundstage capacity constraints will continue to drive more virtual production.
- A hybrid of remote/virtual production and on-set processes will become more common in productions.
- Virtual production use will drive down costs and cycle times, at least over the long term.
- The industry will see a transition from leveraging point solutions to implementing end-to-end platforms across various phases of production.
Respondents also said they are seeing benefits to incorporating virtual technologies into production and post-production activities, such as using the cloud and virtualisation in post production.
While the industry is seeing the benefits of virtualisation, there are headwinds at play, said the company. For early adopters, higher capital costs related to new technology investment can slow down deployment, with more than half of the survey’s respondents reluctant to invest in virtual and remote solutions cited budget constraints as the primary reason. Other potential challenges include the lack of process standards, a fragmented market of production solutions, and a lack of tool compatibility.
“The pandemic turned global TV and movie production on its head and forced the industry to improvise and innovate,” said Altman Solon Director Derek Powell. “Altman Solon’s survey indicates that some of the innovations born from necessity will outlast the pandemic – and are changing the way TV and movies are made.”
