cobalt

We love to talk about Virtual Production! We want you all to know about the flexibility, the cost savings and how it can bring your dreams, and your production, to life. With limitless options available in the Virtual World, the KEY is prepping the production properly.

Why are we talking about this now?

Good question! Alex and Cobalt’s Virtual Production Operators spent last week at a workshop, taking a deep dive into the virtual workflow with the folks from Mo-Sys. We want to continue to share the wealth – well beyond the basics…

CG asset prep is key.

Virtual Production is sometimes sold as a quick way to do anything you can possibly imagine. Ummm, not so fast, Habersham… We’d like to point out that while there’s soooo much incredible flexibility with Virtual Production (and big expectations), Virtual Production still needs a healthy dose of pre-planning to maximize its AMAZING potential.

“Decisions must be made in advance of a shoot to maximize the power of the tech. Out of the box, you can certainly maximize production value while saving on production costs, BUT with a little pre-planning and building, you can create amazing synergy between the practical world and the virtual world,” says Cobalt’s onsite tech guru, Alex. Simply put, “With planning you can do extremely magical things.”

You don’t have to be in the city to shoot the city…
(HINT HINT 😉)

Beyond the basics.

Team Cobalt got seriously excited when a little gem came to light… Again, prepping assets is essential, BUT imagine being able to control the lighting of your CG environment LIVE via DMX!! So, if your scene is a club venue with dynamic lights, your on-set DMX OP can simultaneously control the practical lighting AND the CG lighting LIVE. And as we all know, DMX can control tons of VFX devices, like triggering motion control, fog machines, audio, etc. etc. Another example…. A driving shot. Your practical lighting of the occupants in the car, can match the CG street lights seen in the virtual world. Whoa. (see above)

Think about that for a second… Your practical lighting effects can perfectly match your Virtual Set. The possibilities to integrate your practical production elements into the VSet are literally limitless. This flexibility is one of the main reasons we were one of the earliest adopters (first on the East Coast!) of Virtual Production.

Want to talk soon about your Virtual Production? We do too! More little gems to come, stay tuned…

Hello Friends!

You probably already know that Cobalt was the first to offer Virtual Production to the film community on the East Coast. Getting there first, and doing it right, has always been in our DNA.

Today, we wanted to take you on a quick tour of our Mo-Sys setup and share why we love it, why our clients love it, and why we’re sure you’re gonna love it, too.

So, what is this thing?

Virtual Production at Cobalt, driven by Mo-Sys, is ONE state of the art system that works for BOTH green-screen AND LED applications. Virtual Production means no travel costs, no location fees, no set construction costs or waste—just unrestricted camera movement, amazing production value, and complete creative freedom. The laws of physics are a thing of the past when you work with us.

Love it, but what’s a Mo-Sys?

Good question. There’s Mo-Sys the company, and Mo-Sys the tech. Let’s talk about the company first, and why we’ve worked with them for so long.

Mo-Sys is the global leaders in creating original and highly sophisticated camera technology products for film and broadcast, empowering high-quality AR, VR and Virtual Production. Mo-Sys tech has been used in films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, Life of Pi, The Shape of Water and Aquaman and serial television credits include Stranger Things, House of Cards, Sherlock, Orange is the New Black among many more.

Get it? Nice. Now, let’s geek out on the tech.

Mo-Sys VP Pro is the software that powers our system. Mo-Sys’ Startracker Studio is a real-time compositor, synchroniser, keyer, and recorder that uses real-time camera and lens tracking data to drive all CG assets.

VP Pro has a clever set of tools that simplifies and enhances virtual production workflows, making it simpler to achieve the virtual production illusion you’re after.

StarTracker is the solid solution for unrestricted, real-time camera tracking. StarTracker offers unlimited freedom of movement and gives accurate position, rotation and lens data in real-time. You can rotate the studio camera 360 degrees, and move it to any position in the studio, regardless of whether the camera is on a dolly, a crane or even handheld.

Good question. There’s Mo-Sys the company, and Mo-Sys the tech. Let’s talk about the company first, and why we’ve worked with them for so long.

Sounds very cool, what does it look like?

Here we are, live composited, from one of our recent tech demo streams.

Yep, that’s us on set in a fully virtual environment.

What does all this mean for you and your production?

Three words. Savings, savings, savings, and flexibility. Ok, that was four.

Virtual Production means the days of flying across the globe to different sets for many locations, and using crazy resources (and a large roster of talent) are over. With Virtual Set tech, we’re able to immerse talent in previously impossible environments or environments that would have been very expensive to build. Now, we can achieve this in a highly seamless fashion, in a very cost-effective way. Plus you get ALL the flexibility.

And, no more chasing that golden hour… You can harness the golden hour all day long if you like. And “weather days” are truly a thing of the past.

Let’s talk soon about bringing your production to life with Mo-Sys 💥

Yes ✨

We’re beyond excited to step into Spring with a big announcement. We’re not ready to tell you what it is, just yet, but what we can tell you is what it’s going to mean for your productions in 2023 and beyond:

Are you excited…?? We are!!!

Naturally, all this new stuff comes with over 50 years of combined Industry-leading experience. Nothing’s changing there… You’ll get the same care and attention to your project’s each and every need – as usual.

Keep an eye on your inbox for updates, and tell your friends something big is about to happen at Cobalt.

For decades, we’ve been shooting talent and products on green, and adding photo-realistic 3D graphics in post-production to finalize the shot. This is the foundation of a visual effects shot (VFX). It was (and still is) very much a two-stage process… Virtual production in most cases makes this a one-step process, by enabling the VFX shot to be captured on set, in camera, and in real-time. Virtual production saves time, money, and is much more efficient. But it does require more preparation.

The enablers…
The “enablers” for virtual production are real-time photo-realistic graphics engines (like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, or Unity’s 3D engine) coupled with precision camera/lens tracking. Using these technologies means that we can put talent or products into any photo-realistic environment we like, whenever we like, and even change the environment at a push of a button.

How costs are cut.
Here’s the bottom line. Content Creators, both big and small, are always looking for ways to reduce cost and maximize efficiency.

Flying across the globe to different sets for numerous locations, and using crazy resources (as well as a large roster of talent) is no longer cutting it. Producers, kiss those days away. Seriously.

With Virtual Set tech, we’re now able to immerse talent in previously impossible environments or environments that would have been very expensive to build with physical sets. Now, we can achieve this in a highly seamless fashion, in a very cost effective way.

Bye-bye physics.
No longer tied to the laws of physics, you don’t have to chase that golden hour any longer… You can harness the golden hour all day long if you like. Ahhhhh… Yes, “weather days” are truly a thing of the past.

As the Coast Guard said to the ship’s Captain…
VADA A BORDO CAZZO!

And we are ready to share.

In case you aren’t familiar… Mo-Sys is an award-winning, world-renowned maker of virtual production solutions. We’ve been watching them VERY closely, and have been headed down the virtual path with them for a while now. We have been learning with the Mo-Sys guys at NAB, Cinegear, and their laboratory in LA. Its now in our hot little hands, and ready for you.

Where is this Mo-sys we have?

The answer is: in our clutches, and anywhere you want it to be. You can come to our stage to use it, or we can come to you – on location or in any studio. Even in Brooklyn. We don’t judge.

Did you ask why?

Because it’s cost effective, and makes your life easier. And the rest of the production world has caught on, and knows its true. It’s ONE state of the art system that works for BOTH a green-screen AND LED application. Virtual production means no travel costs, no location fees, no set construction costs or waste—just unrestricted camera movement, amazing production value and complete creative freedom.

The badass hardware.

The design and form factor is tidy and impressive; the operating system is extremely well designed; and in most cases, it obviates the need for the sometimes problematic ‘Brain Bar’. Cobalt’s NEW virtual production solution enables a wide range of implementation options, from simple camera tracking metadata (used in post), to full up ‘final pixel’ 4K composites, and everything else in between. You really can’t ask for more than that. It is impressive, and is now the Industry standard.

The future of film is virtual.
Virtual is NOW.

Want to composite your high res 4K Live Action into dynamic, photorealistic Unreal environments with precision camera tracking, while shooting? It’s an end-to-end virtual production solution that can combine pre-viz, production, and post. Now clients can choose the workflow that’s perfect for their virtual project. Yes, color correction and compositing can be done onset while shooting. The world of filmmaking has exploded into the virtual realm, and is in Cobalt’s hands, once again.

Proud to announce “The Mission”!

Cobalt is proud to announce our latest success with “The Mission” for our LA Agency client. The results are in, and they speak for themselves. Res ipsa. The clients love the spots; the reviews are all superb; and sales are up, WAY up.  Team Cobalt and co-directing team, Alex Fernbach & Kara Vedder, produced a heartfelt dramatic ‘short’ / commercial featuring a first-time 6 year old actress on a location shoot in California. While Alex created different ‘location looks’ and times of day from a single residence, Kara had fun coaxing a genuine, impishly natural performance from the 6 year old little girl 🙂  Let us know if you like it, or if you saw it when it aired this holiday season 💕

Science in the Service of Art.

And when we bring our laboratory to you…this is what it looks like. Our digital, mechanical, hydraulic and robotic production capabilities extend far beyond any we’ve encountered before. With our decades of experience to guide you and our comprehensive inventory of tools and technology, we can help produce for practically any purpose. From a simple product display to programmable robotics, we’re here to help you, quite simply, elevate your image 😉

On Location with Khaite.

Big challenges are usually pretty obvious—but small challenges tend to emerge at the last moment. Cobalt layers in safety nets to ensure that doesn’t happen to you. When you work with us, we ask lots of follow up questions about your production needs because we have the experience to anticipate some of the problems before they happen. Then, when you’re on set, we have a wealth of rigging tools, so if a problem emerges, there’s often a solution, just waiting to be assembled. For example, just 2 weeks ago… The Khaite runway project asked us to program the articulation of a 120LB light, in sync with music cues and other lighting effects. For the 14 minute long move, along a 60 foot track, our Gazelle did a little diddy while the infamous Khaite and 50 of her top-model peers purposed around it.

On Location with Khaite.

Whether it’s getting the camera precisely perpendicular to a product, or keeping an outdoor motion control rig from sinking into the sod, working with us enables your one-of-a-kind production problems to be solved faster, cheaper, easier and better. We’ve invested heavily in versatile, professional rigging gear. For instance, the Berkey system… an erector set for rig building… With our extensive Berkey inventory at Cobalt, you can custom-configure rigs on the fly to create your ideal solution quickly. But that’s not all. In addition to having great rigging gear to support your production needs, we also stock generous quantities of expendables—the tape, the plexiglass and all the odds and ends that, with some ingenuity, can get your production back on track without wasting time.

Speaking of time…

When we talk about motion control and rigging, you might picture a robotic camera crane. Well, that’s part of it… but, in precision camera work, your frame-accurate timing is just as essential as your camera movement. One shoot’s concept: a model walking onstage with the camera following her, and while she walks, her wardrobe changes—feels conceptually simple, right? Tape marked the floor so she knew where to step, but that only solved for space, not time. So how do you ensure that your talent is in the right place at the right time?? In this scenario, we offered a solution through our motion control operating system. It was a bell, rigged to a digital/ analog converter, programmed to ring at ½ second intervals that enabled the model to replicate the identical cadence. The effect was a success. We have a number of interfaces that enable synchronicity. So, go ahead and choreograph a chorus line of runway models! We’re well-equipped to help you work your magic.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for sharing your amazing talents with us this year, it’s been a joy and a privilege! We wish you a holiday season filled with glorious downtime, inner peace, and getting in touch with what matters most.

We’ll see you on the other side of 2022,
centered and refreshed!

Warmly,

For decades, we’ve been shooting talent and products on green, and adding photo-realistic 3D graphics in post-production to finalize the shot. This is the foundation of a visual effects shot (VFX). It was (and still is) very much a two-stage process… Virtual production in most cases makes this a one-step process, by enabling the VFX shot to be captured on set, in camera, and in real-time. Virtual production saves time, money, and is much more efficient. But it does require more preparation.

The enablers…

The “enablers” for virtual production are real-time photo-realistic graphics engines (like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, or Unity’s 3D engine) coupled with precision camera/lens tracking. Using these technologies means that we can put talent or products into any photo-realistic environment we like, whenever we like, and even change the environment at a push of a button.

How costs are cut.

Here’s the bottom line. Content Creators, both big and small, are always looking for ways to reduce cost and maximize efficiency.

Flying across the globe to different sets for numerous locations, and using crazy resources (as well as a large roster of talent) is no longer cutting it. Producers, kiss those days away. Seriously.

With Virtual Set tech, we’re now able to immerse talent in previously impossible environments or environments that would have been very expensive to build with physical sets. Now, we can achieve this in a highly seamless fashion, in a very cost effective way.

Bye-bye physics.

No longer tied to the laws of physics, you don’t have to chase that golden hour any longer… You can harness the golden hour all day long if you like. Ahhhhh… Yes, “weather days” are truly a thing of the past.

As the Coast Guard said to the ship’s Captain…
VADA A BORDO CAZZO!

With any cutting-edge tech in film, there’s an expectation that it will initially be the preserve of big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. In the case of virtual production, this is a misconception further cemented by the ubiquity of examples such as The Mandalorian and 2019’s The Lion King.

Reordering your pipeline to save massively in post.

While it’s true that virtual production is widely used in Hollywood, its usefulness doesn’t end there. In reality, the technology offers cost savings which will appeal to any production team! Think of it as a re-ordering of the overall production process; your 3D computer graphic assets are now prepared in full quality in pre-production, and your post-production compositing is the shoot itself. The saving is the reduced post-production time and the removal of on-set errors.

Earlier, easier, safer creative decisions.

Also, the ability to make creative decisions earlier on in the process, will result in cleaner takes given that actors are present while those calls are being made, as opposed to fixing costly errors in post (or, even more inconveniently, with re-shoots). On top of that, virtual scouting eliminates the cost of travel and indeed our carbon footprints.

AGAIN: Saving time and saving money.

The true magic of virtual production, however, lies in the fact that it is not a cheap substitute for ‘the real thing’ – it is simply an alternative. As a 2020 report from Deloitte noted, “Hollywood may be reaching the limits of efficiency using the traditional production methodology. The mindset and toolset of virtual production can support not only better creative outcomes, but also potentially significant time and cost savings.”

And in this instance, what’s true for Hollywood is true for the rest of the industry, too. It’s certainly been true for us at Cobalt 🙂