Technology Breakthrough
PARTNERING WITH RESIN VFX
In 2019, Heavens Entertainment were introduced to RESIN VFX in Australia, who had already been doing their own research around GPU technology usage in the VFX workflow. Their findings concurred with what the Heavens Entertainment team had achieved, hence they did not need much convincing and jumped at the chance to adopt GPU technology to work on HEAVENS:THE BOY AND HIS ROBOT. With the addition of real-time rendering technology, massive crowds and environments were successfully created in a fraction of the time it would have typically required. This proved that it was possible to speed up the process for artists to create their best work, from concept to final delivery, without compromising on quality.
STARTING WITH R&D
From 2012-2015, heavy research and development (R&D) with the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and other technology for filmmaking was carried out concurrently with the production of HEAVENS: THE BOY AND HIS ROBOT. R&D was extensively carried out by Singapore’s leading researchers from the Nanyang Technological University’s Multi-plAtform Game Innovation Centre, along with technology partners like NVIDIA. Insights gained in the R&D process allowed Director Rich Ho to conduct many tech-industry talks on the benefits of utilizing GPUs in post-production. He knew that existing and soon-to-be outdated workflows and infrastructures would need to be changed and came up with a method, which had yet to be fully tested. HEAVENS: THE BOY AND HIS ROBOT was set to show the world what GPUs can do in filmmaking.
SEE ALSO
Overview of Our Project Timeline
The Director’s Thoughts Behind the Movie:
Coupling Graphic Processing Units with Real-time Technology
Standard workflows and technology used in filmmaking and visual effects (VFX) work have always been expensive and time-consuming. Compromise in quality is not uncommon due to overrun budgets, and excessive time spent on rendering out numerous detailed iterations for review, rather than focusing on the artistry of creation and storytelling.
But now, with the ubiquity of cloud computing and new GPU processes designed specifically for the creation of films, artists are able to preview and render their works from conception to final product in real-time, without compromising on the final quality. This has resulted in massive time and budget savings.
Smaller independent studios like us are no longer limited by these high costs and time constraints in the kind of stories we want to tell.
