UK’s NFTS Welcomes First Virtual Production Students
EXCLUSIVE: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) has welcomed 15 participants selected to join its inaugural part-time Virtual Production Certificate course, kicking off with a workshop on February 5. The adoption of virtual production – the use of digital tools to mimic and replace live-action production paradigms – gathered momentum throughout the pandemic while international travel was restricted. The nine female and six male NFTS students range in age from 25 to 50 and come from a variety of ethnically diverse backgrounds with careers spanning games, VFX, animation and television; they become the first cohort to undertake extensive training in this specific field. As part of the course, they will have the opportunity to visit the virtual production stage at Warner Bros Studio Leavesden, which features a 7,100-sq.-ft. wraparound virtual production environment, using a matrix of more than 2,600 LED panels integrated with a state-of-the-art processing system. The certificate is a six-month course led by Alan Thorn, who has headed up the School’s Games Design and Development MA for four years. It aims to provide students with the core skills needed to build and progress a career in the thriving Virtual Production industry. “Virtual Production is rapidly breaking new ground and its capabilities will fundamentally change the way our students and the industry creates content, ultimately providing filmmakers with an enhanced experience. No location or environment will be out of reach and the possibilities are endless due to its cross-genre versatility. I’m thrilled the NFTS, working with WarnerMedia is at the forefront of training with this innovative and evolving technology. We look forward to collaborating with our first 15 students and wish them every success as they progress through the course and into the Virtual Production industry,” said NFTS Director Jon Wardle.
NENT’s Viaplay Boost Subscribers By 1M
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT) boosted subs to expanding SVoD Viaplay by 1M last year as the streamer gets set to roll out in more territories. Viaplay now tops the 4M subs mark, according to NENT’s full year results published today, which showed an increase of 33% during a year in which it launched in several markets including the U.S. Subs revenue now makes up around one-third of NENT’s overall turnover, which grew by around 16.7% to 12,661BN Swedish Krona ($1.38BN). Anders Jensen, NENT President and CEO, said he expects “further acceleration” as Viaplay prepares to launch in key territories such as the UK and The Netherlands, and adds more original content and sports rights.
Sky Crime To Spotlight ‘Stranger Murder’ Stories
Sky Crime is to tell the harrowing first-hand stories of people who have been murdered by complete strangers in a 10-part documentary series from Woodcut Media. Murdered At First Sight will spotlight these seemingly motiveless cases where there are no disgruntled partners or jealous relatives, which are notoriously difficult to crack but are on the rise. Abacus Media Rights is distributing the show, which will launch in March, outside the UK. “The fact that these perpetrators commit heinous acts on complete strangers is hard to comprehend,” said exec producer Matthew Gordon. “Sky Crime is a superb platform for Murdered at First Sight, which will shed some light on some extraordinary cases.”
Discovery+ To Relaunch ‘Beauty And The Geek’ In The UK
Discovery+ is to relaunch Fox’s hit format Beauty And The Geek in the UK more than 15 years after it was taken off air. The show will be produced by Banijay label Initial and hosted by Matt Edmondson and Mollie King, pairing eight beautiful women with eight self-proclaimed “geeks.” The Fox original format aired for one UK series on E4 in 2006 and has since been adapted in more than 20 markets. Meanwhile, Discovery+ has ordered dating format Zodiac Island (working title), which will “combine a search for real love with a passion for astrology.” That show will be produced by STV Studios label Barefaced TV
Red Sea Film Fest Sets 2022 Dates
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has confirmed it will run December 1-10 in 2022. The debut edition of the event presented 138 films to more than 30,000 filmgoers and 3,115 film professionals, media and students.
