MPTS 2023: VFX industry snapshot
At the recent MPTS 2023 show, our Creative Director Rob Hifle represented Lux Aeterna in a panel discussion titled VFX: State of the Nation, giving his insights on the current state of the industry. Speaking alongside Fiona Walkinshaw, Chief Executive, Film & Episodic, at Framestore and Patrick Davenport, VFX President at Ghost, Rob outlined some of the key issues and trends in the VFX industry today, and what’s coming next, including the rapid rise of AI-based tools.
Talking about the current landscape for VFX companies and how this has changed over the last 12 months, the panel agreed that there is a positive outlook for the UK, with companies increasingly serving global customer bases.
We’re excited to see what great opportunities this new partnership will bring for young people in Bristol and the South West. Check out more of the great work that ACCESS:VFX do on their website below.
While opportunities outside of the capital, along with the rise of remote and hybrid working, are helping to widen the talent pool, finding and keeping artists remains a key challenge.
Speaking on the importance of nurturing a new, diverse, and inclusive talent pool, Rob highlighted our work with ACCESS:VFX, an organisation that aims to improve diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the VFX industry. “We have visual effects producers that are mentors, and their mentees are now starting to set up their own companies, and we’re starting to use them internationally,” explained Rob.
The rise of virtual production
While younger generations starting out in VFX are very technically savvy, there is still something of a skills gap when it comes to emerging technologies like virtual production, the panel agreed.
“There are so many virtual studios popping up, and we’re doing a lot more virtual production work at Lux Aeterna,” said Rob. “But with the technology moving at such a pace, the industry really needs to skill up.”
It was also noted that while virtual production is an increasingly essential tool, it should only be used when it’s truly the right tool for the project, rather than for the sake of using a new and popular technology.
AI challenges and opportunities
The panel discussed the different opportunities and challenges offered by AI, from copyright hurdles, to machine learning that can help to automate simple tasks.
“We’ve been able to form an R&D department looking specifically at AI,” said Rob, talking about our exploratory work as part of the MyWorld programme. “If you’re a visual effects company and you’re not monitoring AI, then you should be. But you’ve got to be careful about what you’re putting into these AIs, because you’re losing ownership. If you can keep it local then you can train it on your own models, and retain ownership, which is key. It’s really all about empowering the artists and giving them more scope.”
Rob also reiterated the importance of staying at the cutting edge of the rapid development in this space, saying: “AI is hugely game-changing. And it’s not by the month, or by the week, it’s by the day. It’s developing at such a rate.”
What’s next?
With the growth of content production expected to pick up again in 2024, the outlook is good. The panelists agreed that AI is likely to feature heavily in the coming months, along with an increase in real-time technologies. “I foresee more real-time rendering in Unreal Engine,” said Rob. ”It feels like it’s really starting to ramp up”.
Find out more about what Lux Aeterna can bring to your project on our Services page.
