Ryan Grippi

PROJECT

Riding the Virtual New Wave

As we enter a Post Covid-19 world, the demands for embracing new and emerging Virtual Production technologies have never been higher. Not only do they allow large Hollywood studio productions to be produced faster and with smaller post production crews but they also allow independent artists to tell their own odysseys with a modern computer, a little patience and a few sensors. It should be no surprise to anyone that in just a few years, the next great superhero franchise will no longer require a large company to produce.

During the pandemic, we’ve seen film sets controlled and modified by crews located halfway across the globe from the comfort of their desks. This now lends itself to change the answer of who can work on a crew at any given time. Language barriers and ableist limitations begin to fade as methods of communication change.

While this technology leads to limitless possibilities, it can also play into age old bias, privilege and false assumptions. Just as the painter thinks about the materials they paint with, this new software and toolset requires conceptual discernment while working through it.

Ryan is producing a test shoot for his upcoming musical short film using these tools. In doing so he strives to document his process and show potential bias gaps in emerging workflows. He will prove that this technology can aid in making a commercial piece of art that would otherwise not have been possible for an independent filmmaker.