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Addressing the skills gap with virtual production bootcamps in the North East

INFINITY27

As an ‘open’ games studio and Unreal Authorised Training Center, INFINITY27 serves as the next-generation talent pipeline for the games and immersive industry. Named “One to Watch” in the UK Meta Games Industry Index, they are currently working on an action-adventure role-playing game (RPG) , Samsara, which looks set to shake up the ‘Soulslike’ genre.

Overview

In 2023, INFINITY27 sought to address the significant skills gap industry-wide in virtual production in the North East. The team began searching for a virtual production studio with the capabilities and expertise to develop custom workflows. INFINITY27 aimed to develop a pipeline that allows them to make lighting changes in Unreal Engine and then display that scene on the LED wall in real-time. After exploring multiple avenues, a partnership was formed between INFINITY27 and Advanced Media Production at Gateshead through a combined interest and desire to build virtual production bootcamps to help address the skills gap. 

We’re hoping to upskill the region. We want to get those talented individuals who don’t have that first-hand experience in an environment like this (Advanced Media Production Studios) to come with us and learn the ropes, and show to other employers either here or further afield, that they’re more than capable and able and willing to do it.” – David Park, Producer at INFINITY27

The benefits

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The bootcamp was supported by Advanced Media Production team and INFINITY27 who also brought in some of their students to give feedback on this project. These learners had a mixture of game engine understanding before coming in, with backgrounds in film and gaming. The bootcamp ran through topics ranging from hardware and software to networks and camera operation within virtual environments.

One of the biggest challenges INFINITY27 and many others in the creative industry face is the lack of accessibility to advanced technology. However, the Advanced Media Production at Gateshead was able to offer not only their state-of-the-art studio for the workshop but also access to their advanced technologies for the bootcamp.

This workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to learn new skills and techniques that aim to help develop and grow depth of knowledge within the industry. As mentioned in the recently published Advanced Media Production: Foresighting Skills for the Future Report, overcoming the knowledge gap and effectively engaging with technology requires additional resources that are often unavailable to everyone. As advanced digital technologies evolve, and organisations innovate, it will be important to continue the skills foresighting process and that the relevant skills capacity is developed to increase adoption and continued growth.  

Continue reading the report

Looking ahead

The team at Advanced Media Production at Gateshead gained valuable insight into professional game development techniques such as world partitioning,  while INFINITY27 honed its skills in producing an exceptional virtual production shoot utilising Unreal Engine. This included working with the team to master the art of producing, lighting and editing within virtual environments to deliver exceptional results.  

Looking ahead, INFINITY27 are successfully continuing their workshops and training opportunities based on their learnings with Advanced Media Production at Gateshead studio. These will continue running to inform and develop skills in the creative industries, while INFINITY27 plans to integrate certain aspects of development and advertising into their game, Samsara.

“Everyone’s been beyond helpful and we’ve learned a lot and I hope you guys have learned a lot from us as well, bringing games and video production together. I hope we get to continue it.” – David Park, Producer at INFINITY27

 

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