Walla Walla University Goes Virtual
By AVNetwork Staff ( AV Network )
Scalable Display Technologies provides a solution to introduce virtual production to film, TV, and media students.
(Image credit: Scalable Display Technologies)
Walla Walla University is located in College Place, WA. The private Adventist university with four campuses located throughout the Pacific Northwest and offers a hands-on, deep dive into the cinematic world through its film, TV, and media degree program. To bring the latest production technology to its students, WWU turned to Scalable Display Technologies software.
The film, TV, and media major aims to help students learn and apply essential skills in filmmaking, production, animation, effects and directing. By harnessing the latest production technology, the university provides students with hands-on experience, developing their knowledge of on-set procedures and building professional portfolios.
Jerry Hartman, professor of film, TV, and media for WWU, spearheaded the latest development in the university’s video production studio. With a background in movie and television production, Hartman has spent the last 16 years educating students as they explore a variety of exciting careers such as film directing, product design, music directing and virtual reality production.
“Walla Walla University continues to invest in new technology to support virtual production,” said Hartman. “WWU is a small, liberal arts facility, but we emphasize learning in real-world environments through field education, design competitions, labs, research, art shows, student teaching, study tours and studio work. We want to allow our students to experiment and understand the technology they will find themselves interacting with in the real world. Today’s high-profile film production studios leverage new technologies, like large LED displays, to support virtual video production. We must incorporate that into our curriculum.
“There’s a significant barrier to entry with LED displays because of the price point. Adopting these technologies is incredibly expensive, but we’ve found that projection is a very reliable alternative. We have a green screen cyclorama, which we repainted white, that we utilize to project content onto. We’ve incorporated Unreal Engine, an advanced real-time 3D creation tool for visuals and immersive experiences, and two projectors on the cyclorama to create our production stage.”
WWU selected Scalable Display Technologies to automatically blend two projectors across the cyclorama to create one seamless display. Scalable’s software works on flat, curved, domed and customized screen shapes.
“I started exploring different companies that provide a simplified solution for blending multiple projectors,” noted Hartman. “I found Scalable Display Technologies through Unreal Engine. Scalable’s software integrates with Unreal Engine, so I contacted the company for a license trial to begin testing the functionality. From my initial conversation, Scalable’s sales and technical support team has been extremely helpful and accommodating. They worked with me to ensure everything worked seamlessly before we purchased a software license. Their team has gone far beyond the role of a traditional salesperson to ensure we selected the appropriate solution for our specific needs.”
Source: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/walla-walla-university-goes-virtual