Shanghai Film Art Academy

Recently, at the "Made in Shanghai" section of the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, the red-themed dance drama film "The Eternal Wave" garnered significant attention from attendees. The film was shot entirely in 4K Ultra HD, incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as XR virtual studios and telescopic crane technology, reimagining the charm of a classic IP through forefront digital techniques.

XR virtual studios, an emerging filming technology in recent years, encompass various techniques including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). It boasts efficient scene creation, pre-visualization of visual effects, low-cost post-processing, and immense creative space, making it popular in film and television production, advertising shoots, press conferences, live broadcasts, and television broadcasts.

With the convergence of art and science and the development of industry-academia-research cooperation, advanced technologies like XR virtual filming and virtual simulation are gradually entering campuses, showcasing their potential in empowering academic disciplines. As the second independent college in China named after film, the Shanghai Film Art Academy focuses on the modern film industry, emphasizing the integration of art and technology. It comprehensively promotes industry-education integration, collaborative education, and international development strategies, actively introducing global high-quality film education and industry resources to create a diversified platform for film and television talent cultivation.

Notably, the Film and Television Science and Innovation College of Shanghai Film Art Academy has been approved to establish Shanghai's first municipal-level virtual simulation training base—the 5G+ Digital Virtual Simulation Smart Studio. This studio, also the first virtual smart studio in domestic institutions, integrates LED screen virtual background production and filming systems, motion capture systems, real-time compositing and rendering, data capture, AR, as well as cloud storage, wireless data transmission, and digital engines required by these systems.

As a crucial component of the studio, the motion capture system significantly impacts the entire filming process and final presentation, particularly in camera positioning and tracking. It tracks and records the camera's movement in space, synchronizing it with the virtual background to ensure precise alignment between the virtual scene and the real camera position.

Addressing the multi-target, multi-camera tracking needs in teaching applications, ChingMu developed a camera motion tracking system for this studio, providing technical support for motion capture and virtual production processes, enabling a "what you see is what you get" creative experience.

The establishment of the 5G+ Digital Virtual Simulation Smart Studio not only provides a comprehensive training base for the academy's film and television production-related majors (such as film and television multimedia technology, film and television direction, digital media, game design, film and television animation, stage design, and film and television special effects makeup), creating an integrated, high-end teaching and training environment aligned with future industry needs. It also reinforces the "three-linkage" teaching model (linkage, joint education, and joint training) among various majors. Students are no longer limited to traditional VP filming methods but equipped with advanced filming concepts and creative approaches. With professional hardware facilities and a solid grasp of theory, the academy's faculty and students have produced numerous high-quality works, winning numerous awards.

In November last year, the faculty and students of the Film and Television Science and Innovation College of Shanghai Film Art Academy completed Shanghai's first virtual filming experimental short film, "Spring Returns Again." With its ingenious storyline, intricately linked narrative, and innovative creative approach, the film recently made the shortlist for the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival. Shot entirely using the world's most advanced virtual production (VP) technology and leveraging UNREAL ENGINE for all digital assets, "Spring Returns Again" significantly enhanced filming efficiency and reduced time costs, with a mere 2.5 days of actual filming within a total production time of 15 days.

The academy's relevant leaders expressed that in the future, they will leverage ChingMu's motion capture tracking system to empower visual effects previsualization and even virtual photography CG short film production.