New studio at NYP gives students a chance to try Hollywoodesque media technology

SINGAPORE – Nanyang Polytechnic students can now use a new studio with 24 motion capture cameras, a curved green screen cyclorama and LED volume wall for their lessons and projects.

The 2,500 sq f BeyondReality Studio – the cost of which was not revealed – was unveiled in January. It will primarily be used by students from the polytechnic’s School of Design and Media, such as those taking modules in animation, games and visual effects.

It will also be of use to students from the School of Business Management who take classes in mass media management or hospitality and tourism management to run live events, using the LED wall to show changing backdrops, among other potential uses.

In total, up to 600 NYP students per year are expected to benefit.

Adult learners taking media-related continuing education and training courses at NYP may also access the facility. The studio can also be used by creative media enterprises who want to work with NYP and its students.

An upgrade over the school’s former studio, the new highlight is the LED volume virtual production, a series of linked video panels that allows for virtual backgrounds to be shown behind people or actors.

The 8m by 4.5m LED wall is also complemented by a 6m by 4m LED floor.

With this, videos can be filmed against different backgrounds without having to do costly shoots in actual locations, said Mr Alvin Hoo, senior manager at NYP School of Design and Media.

It also provides an advantage over filming against a green screen, where the background has to be replaced in post-production, he added.

A side effect of filming against the green screen is known in the industry as “green spill”. It occurs when light reflected off the green screen onto the actors gives them a greenish tint. Filming against the volume virtual production screen eliminates this problem.

Mr Hoo said that NYP had been considering how it may use the technology – which was featured in Hollywood productions such as The Mandalorian – during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is part of the polytechnic’s continual update of facilities to ensure students are trained in the latest technology relevant to their industry.

Influencer and NYP alumni Jaze Phua, 34, said the LED volume screen also allows performers to be more immersed, and feel that the shooting is taking place in a real-world setting.

He was acting out a skit with co-actor Katrina Yap, 27, during a demonstration to guests touring the studio.

The duo played the characters Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu from the Chinese classic The Return of the Condor Heroes against a background modelled on Phoenix Ancient City, a famous old town in China’s Hunan province.

Four Animation, Games and Visual Effects students created the realistic virtual background, which showed details such as people walking in the distance and the ebb of river waters, for their final year project.

They were third-year students Choy Yu Feng, Guo Yong Jun Justin, Kristen Teo Sue Ting and Annabelle Quek.

Mr Choy, 19, said the team created the virtual backdrop using 3D software such as Unreal Engine and Houdini over a three-month period, including pulling late nights.

He said that seeing the project come to life on the LED volume wall gives him “a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment”.

He added: “I’m quite honoured to have our work shown on such a big wall.”

Mr Choy, who is expecting to graduate this year, said the studio would benefit earlier year and incoming students working on projects.

“If we had this (earlier), I might have possibly created my own short film and maybe work with a bunch of others to create the environment and show our own short story,” he said.