The facility features industry-grade virtual production, preparing learners for an industry estimated to grow 14.7 per cent each year and be worth US$10.07 billion globally by 2032.

Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) unveiled its BeyondReality Studio, a one-stop playground of emerging immersive media technologies.

 

Virtual Production is an exciting and rapidly evolving field that combines traditional filmmaking techniques with cutting-edge digital technology. It involves the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), augmented reality (AR), motion capture, and other technologies to create realistic environments and effects on virtual sets.

 

What you can expect in a virtual production studio:

• LED Volume Walls: These replace traditional green screens, allowing real-time visualisation of virtual sets. This technology was notably used in "The Mandalorian".
• Camera Tracking System: Allows the virtual environment to synchronise dynamically with the camera movements to achieve a realistic and immersive experience.
• Unreal Engine: A powerful real-time 3D creation platform that enables photorealistic rendering and real-time adjustments.

 

The global virtual production market is projected to reach US$10.07 billion by 2032. This growth is driven by the increasing demand for high-quality visual effects in movies, TV shows, and commercials, as well as the rising adoption of virtual production technologies in the gaming industry. Major players like Disney, Epic Games, and ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) are heavily investing in virtual production. Disney, for instance, has extensively used LED video walls for in-house shoots, significantly reducing the need for on-location filming.

 

The Asia-Pacific region, particularly China, Japan, and South Korea, is also seeing rapid growth due to rising investments in the entertainment industry.

 

NYP’s investment in this state-of-the-art facility underscores its commitment to preparing students for the future. The BeyondReality Studio will provide students with unparalleled opportunities to develop skills in CGI, augmented reality, motion capture, and more, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet the demands of the entertainment and gaming industries.

 

The 2,500-square-foot virtual production facility features 24 professional motion capture cameras for high-precision full-body performance capture, a large curved green screen cyclorama for greater versatility and illusion of depth, and an LED volume wall and floor for the most authentic replications of virtual environments.

The studio prepares students for the future of media production, offering opportunities to work with Extended Reality (XR), Virtual Production (VP), Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Metaverse and Web 3.0, as well as Generative AI.

 

The studio boasts numerous firsts in Singapore's visual and audio production scene:

1. NYP is the first and only Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) in Singapore to feature advanced LED volume technology. These skills have also been identified as emerging skills in the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) refreshed Skills Framework for Media.
2. The BeyondReality Studio is the only studio in Singapore that features a unique 3-in-1 setup of motion capture, green screen, and LED volume virtual production all under one roof.
3. NYP will be the first polytechnic to receive the official certification of a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 Surround Audio Studio – to supplement the audio productions in the BeyondReality Studio – ensuring that soundtracks produced within the studio can be accurately reproduced worldwide, at the highest quality.

 

The studio also references Hollywood-standards, while ensuring space optimisation and creating conducive learning experiences. The studio’s LED volume wall is optimised for mid-to-close shots, making it an ideal training environment and the perfect size suitable for local productions. This allows industry partners to explore and experiment with innovative technologies and streamline production workflows.

 

Mr Albert Lim, Director at NYP’s School of Design & Media, said: “We are focused on equipping our students with more than just qualifications – we want to prepare them with the emerging skills required for them to stay at the forefront of media production, whether for further studies or career growth. With our new BeyondReality Studio, our students will learn what it takes to create their very own next-gen immersive masterpiece.”

 

Students across different disciplines in NYP will also get to work together on real-life virtual production projects. School of Business Management students can manage production shoots through set operations, scripting, and scheduling, while School of Design & Media students create virtual assets and integrate them into live environments using tools like Unreal Engine – an industry-leading 3D creation software. This collaborative approach equips our learners with relevant experience in working across teams on large-scale projects.

 

Final-year Diploma in Animation, Games & Visual Effects student, Choy Yu Feng, will be getting hands-on with the new facility in his final semester. “Virtual production is really up and coming, it will be very useful for me when I graduate with experience in these new technologies and some skills under my belt. I think it will help me stand out,” he said.

 

Creative media professionals can also take on a plethora of courses – from short courses to specialist diplomas – to upskill and reskill themselves in emerging immersive media technologies.

 

The BeyondReality Studio will be officially open by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Tan Kiat How, on 24 Jan 2025.