FXPHD – UNR102 – Unreal for Filmmakers

Convergence between film/TV and video game pipelines has arrived in the form of virtual production tools and video game features that support linear storytelling. As realtime film continues its slow progress towards mainstream acceptance, there has never been a better time to get to grips with storytelling “in engine”. Understanding the why, how and when to use realtime rendering as opposed to offline rendering is a valuable skill for any filmmaker. The key to effective use of realtime engines on-screen and on-set is understanding how game cinematics are produced.

Professor Michela Ledwidge has designed this course to teach you how to build on your traditional film/TV skills and apply them in the creation of a realtime short film. Using the Unreal Engine, Michela provides a detailed overview of concepts every artist should know about designing, building and re-purposing assets for realtime use, as well as setting up a pipeline for publishing desktop, mobile, and VR experience. Building on the popular fxphd course “Writing, Directing and Animating a Short Film”, this new course “Unreal for Filmmakers” contains nearly seven hours of instruction as well as animated film assets.

Michela Ledwidge is an artist and director with over 25 years production experience in experience design, realtime audiovisuals and software development. As an early web pioneer, Michela’s career spans storytelling and systems design. She is co-founder of studio Mod that creates immersive interactive experiences and is also a Vice President of the Australian Directors Guild. Michela helped set up the University of Sydney Digital Humans lab and launch the #MeetMike avatar experience at SIGGRAPH2017 in partnership with Epic Games.