Virtual Production at Home at ZERO Cost: A New Era of Filmmaking

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In today's video, I take you behind the scenes of how I transformed my living room into Star-Lord's spaceship using virtual production, recreating an iconic scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on a ZERO budget. Of course, gotta say thanks to Chris Pratt for making this video possible.
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#guardiansofthegalaxy #filmmaking #virtualproduction

[@BlakeRidder]

If you're keen to dive deeper into cinematography, screenwriting, directing, editing, and color grading, check out my Filmmaking Masterclass at masterclass.ridderfilms.com/

[@xfloodcasual8124]

You can shoot the BG and yourself separate and do a subtle move on the BG to simulate the 3D set. We did this a lot in VFX, called parallax. For example the BG moves a path "x" in 2D, and your foreground head moves 1/3 of x, it would feel 3D

[@frasermacdonald6614]

This is a very, very cool idea. I wonder if there is an app that could warp the back ground image to align with the camera movement -- this sounds like a motion tracking problem that Mocha or Blender tools could help with. Also: The latest version of Midjourney lets you pan left and right to create images with much wider aspect ratios: it has limitations and probably would be iffy in a location like a corridor, but is worth exploring.

[@xfloodcasual8124]

apps like Nuke have complex "2.5D" camera setups for this kind of thing.@@frasermacdonald6614

[@martin231181]

Yes. And for even more realistic results (it might not be that different a result for this specific clip) you can generate a debt map and do a displacement of the background, and then move the camera in 3D.

[@ALARICFILMS]

Absolutely right! And now with these video generative AI you can even transform a picture into a real 3d set moving wherever you like and separating the character as you say: you have a true parallax effect... For free...

[@MAXGAMINGYT265]

i think he knows tat

[@jenkem4464]

You could also generate a depth map of the image using existing online AI depth map gen. tools to create a slight panning motion to mimic the parallax from the original shot as well. It's quite sophisticated for how fast and easy it is to generate. Good for also being able to pull focus in or out slightly depending on scene depth.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks, you might want to check out this video I just did, it's similar to what you said.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnO2gYNofMyJba8si=PzZkPzkyxxQIB0PL

[@math3068]

do you have any favorite AI depth map tool to recommend?

[@jenkem4464]

@@math3068 LumaAI seemed to be the best for my purposes...at least the most accurate but they stopped giving free access to the depth output and their credit charge are ludicrously too high. Currently experimenting with Huggingface Zoedepth.

[@BlakeRidder]

So many of you said I should have used a green screen. Now I have in this new video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnO2gYNofMyJba8si=XcVKX6QjzXwc9huX

[@kevincomerford2242]

Greenscreen is good for cutting out subjects, but it makes compositing them into the shots more difficult. There are many tricky elements like transparencies and hair that a very difficult to do correctly even with a professional setup You also have to deal with color spill and add proper back and bounce coloring back into the shot. The virtual lightstage method makes all of that WAY easier because the bending is realistically done.

[@kostasfassoulas6915]

Your method is very interesting, especially for simple shots like this, quick and effective! Surely, green screen, Unreal Engine VFX etc should also do the work, but here you nailed it! Thank you, too inspiring!!

[@EldensMission]

To make a note selecting the oposit of the previous note, just Left click on the note with the first selection > New note > Outside note. Or just Alt+O

[@9StudioProductions]

Absolutely amazing man. And it’s not boring. Continue the full tutorial bro, I’m here for it!

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks 🤩

[@wearetrackclub]

Absolutely loved watching this tutorial! Feeling very inspired, the results are amazing! :)

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks man

[@LeboMakesFilms]

2:36 did not know this was a thing. You've probably saved me days of work colour grading manually!!!

[@LuiCardenasphotography]

Great job! This looks so amazing, it really inspired me to try something out myself. THANK YOU!

[@popcornbros]

Probably the best tutorial have seen for years !!! Thanks a lot !

[@BlakeRidder]

You’re welcome. Thanks

[@stevekongliew8305]

Wow. This is very inspirational. Thankyou for making this tutorial. I look forward to your next tutorial. :)

[@MichalOlender]

Wow! This was great Blake!

[@ruralan]

Such great work! So passionate.

[@cynthiafernando7584]

Thanks for sharing this. Enjoyed some really great work .

[@BlakeRidder]

You’re welcome. Thank you.

[@monarchfilmspx0955]

"and this was my face realizing I was sitting too low on the floor" 😂😂😂😂 i paused the video and laughed for like two solid minutes. Was not expecting a joke and it was great. Well done. 😂😂😂

[@MAXGAMINGYT265]

wow..didn't expect the result wud be like that..grt video..thank you

[@lauriejoneswilson5925]

And you dud great on this! Guardians of the Galaxy, any of them, I love them all!

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you 😊

[@ryanrodriguez1234]

Very cool, love the indepth tutorial!

[@andrewgarley1400]

That was really good! enjoyed it

[@mrrixson]

outstanding work and great tutorial

[@Teh-Penguin]

What a fun project :D Great showcase of skill with a neat clip.

[@ElvinHartman]

just amazing

[@icyBulls]

Great video!! Enjoyed it a lot!!

[@HistoricMetals]

I have been using my TV as a backdrop with great results, I also am messing around with projectors but those are much trickier unless you can rear-project or have a pricey short throw projector you can place behind the subjects. And I have a green screen, which I find is never as sharp or easy to work with due to wrinkles, shadows, inconsistent screen surface lighting and etc etc etc. Work with what you got, you can make amazing things, like this video shows.

[@jessecumberledge4530]

I am going to go all in on an ultra short throw. Wish me luck!

[@khlymore]

incredible result

[@Jaap-Relou]

It always costs time. Time is the most valuable thing people have. Every day you only get less and its impossible to get extra.

[@TerenceKearns]

that was a pretty good match. If anything you need to blur your own shot slightly to match the softness of the film shot. That may just be due to recompression of the movie footage though. Very creative.

[@fhatthewuck4719]

"I just didn't realize how black your eyes were." I don't know if anyone else caught that reference that just had me rolling too much. 😂 Nice comedic timing. But what a great video this is. Super 👍

[@BlakeRidder]

After several months. Someone finally got it. 🙏

[@FrankLeeYoung]

StageCraft on a budget! Love it

[@patrickbaitmen9290]

This is brilliant

[@drsjamesserra]

Love it!

[@graceperiod5947]

When color grading off of a sample image just get the color values of the whites in the sample image and match that to the whites part of your image, (white balancing)

[@FortheLoveofItVibes]

I love this 💯

[@Aden5store]

Great Tutorial. Really well done.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you

[@luggiiiluggiii7179]

I luv it, thx!

[@JoaoSilva22222]

Excellent!!! Congrats! How did you avoid reflections on the tv screen?

[@jason.martin]

Well done !!!

[@billyjjackson]

Very enjoyable video 😁...this maybe a silly question but how did you get the colour wheels panel out over the image viewer?

[@castielvargastv7931]

Great work! The tv trick is cool. Finally i had a use for a big screen as i dont watch tv😅

[@marcpaters0n]

Who needs The Volume? Nice work Sir!

[@BlakeRidder]

Haha. Thanks

[@DenysLukoshkin]

You can use an Outside node that will change with any change of a mask of a previous node

[@zizou40]

Excellent tutorial

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you

[@Uhfgood]

that's pretty cool.

[@dannyaustin84]

Aweosme. Id love to see a tracked shot and build our the midjourney into 3d tunnel. Super cool

[@nizeyimanasharif6500]

You good man

[@husuda]

really great

[@videofandude99]

with your channel, i don't have to go to film school anymore

[@hggent]

loved this video it is genius I am curious however as to what size television was used and if you could do this with a projector the same way and get this same type of result?

[@7th_DimensionalCinema]

This is dope for actors!! Greenscreens are cool but it helps when they can actually see your vison on playback!! plus its cheap 😊

[@ndotl]

Step 1: Learn the tool. Step 2: Use your imagination. Excellent tutorial. You are in the right business when during your off time you are still honing you business skills.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you so much 😊

[@oo0RECON0oo]

Nice job

[@DaniilKharin]

talented person! super

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you

[@griptopia]

the lighting is the way forward, getting the right key light, and fills with the screen compensation from the ND etc... however buying some metal and welding up a rig to mount the camera and the screen to and then setting the screen up in virtual production to update position could be a game changer at a smaller virtual production level.. brilliant stuff dude!! love love love. where are you based?

[@BlakeRidder]

Thank you. Check out my last video for an even more impressive feat. I’m in UK

[@steverileyretired]

Wow, you are very clever, well done

[@BlakeRidder]

thanks man

[@NEVERAGAIN007]

Fantastic

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks

[@unreal__academy]

Wow now you look like Hollywood film actor 😍😍

[@BlakeRidder]

What do you mean. I already am 😂

[@KumarSambhhav]

woaaaw incredibel

[@lucianoperobelli4276]

bravo!

[@BlakeRidder]

🥰

[@VanceAnce]

cool - could you explain why no greenscreen ? i missed that slightly whats the point or why its better with a screen (lightning ?, easier ?, faster ? )

[@RawHeadRay]

Beautiful yet lifeless flat images

[@FredrikHaugen]

Could you do a green screen or second tv at your back and then raise the tv or another tv above you with the image to get the tint from the same background reflecting on your outline? For example if you have a moving video above you with lights and this would reflect on you as the video moves forward?

[@chosenonemedia8337]

Dope!

[@BlakeRidder]

Cheers

[@d369studios]

Great eye, and work Blake 💯, just discovered and sub'd to your Channel also showcased it in our small UE5/Houdini community

[@philliptamez]

When you selected the color picker for your jacket, did it automatically create another node or did you do that during the zooming in of the color picker? Lol

[@BlakeRidder]

I created a new node first before selecting the jacket.

[@runestone1337]

I think we can all agree that AI is going to shake up jobs in the CG industry. It's 2D backdrops today, full 3D sets tomorrow.

[@VegasDominic]

Wow 🎉😊

[@BlakeRidder]

😀

[@an7hony757]

Pretty cool that you made it look so good without a clue of what you're doing. Just shows that anybody can create with these tools.

[@BlakeRidder]

I’ve also made 65 films without knowing what I’m doing. Some even won awards. Fake it till you make it.

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

Very nice tutorial but I do wonder. Why not just use the TV as a green screen by displaying a green image and then comping the midjourney image in post? Or since you are using it anyway, why not just use the depth map or smart mask ... you are already using it anyway? I'm just curious.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks. The main reason is that so I can do the lighting correctly instead of doing it blind. To match the background

[@surfntrucks]

genius

[@swampcastle8142]

Nice

[@BlakeRidder]

If you've enjoyed this tutorial, let me know what you like me to recreate next. :)

[@marcpaters0n]

How about the giant hologram scene from Blade Runner 2049?

[@lauriejoneswilson5925]

Any of the scenes in the first Men In Black (MIB). From the alien bug that crashed and takes on a definitely weird form to the talking dog, to the human form pregnant lady that gives birth to the alien bug baby, to any of them that hang out at MIB headquarters, that would be awesome! Very funny but I loved the original and the special effects were spot on! Disgusting but spot on 😂

[@BlakeRidder]

@@richardweddle3408 unfortunately I don’t have access to a virtual production LED wall 😕

[@LearnAsUGrow501]

I have to admit, when I first started watching I was Like. What is he doing But Lighting and color grading. Wow Night and day. I have no color grading at all. I am so new to all this. I love learning new thing. I am learning how to make Cinematic sets. Blender to bring into Unreal Engine 5.3 Namaste Dave Ross

[@mrudulfaye997]

you are amazing ! Loved your carft!

[@BhoboghureBro]

Wong giving tutorials of VFX LoL 😂😂🤣🤣

[@maheshgvelly]

Can you please share the background image you generated

[@filipefenner]

whats the model of the tv?

[@madedigital]

recreate a two person interview setup

[@TiagoTiagoT]

Or alternatively, if tracking your chest and shoulders as suggested in my other comment doesn't work because it's all too flexible and stuff, perhaps you could sit on a swivel computer chair and use the back and arm-rests as markers, or wrap some wire coat hangers or whatever on the arm-rests or back to produce a more 3D structure to be tracked, and roto out the markers? Be sure to choreograph your motion to minimize how much any of the markers get in front of you, as that would probably be the trickiest to fix.

[@Aconte313]

I wanna make a performance stage in my living room

[@FlyingJackalope]

I want to see that depth of field plugin

[@BlakeRidder]

It’s not a plugin. It comes with Davinci Resolve 18

[@FlyingJackalope]

@@BlakeRidder Ahhhhh. I guess when I saw a unique little logo next to it that it was. Nice work btw. I stumbled onto your channel last night and have been enjoying it.

[@oidanu]

Маэстро!

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks

[@notthesamecc1927]

Man, you are killing all of my excuses! Great tutorial.

[@BlakeRidder]

😌

[@lulucas6063]

lmao so cool mate

[@barnabasnemeth3552]

Great video. But you should “pull down” the sharpness on your face as well a little bit. You can’t be crispy. A cinematic look also includes actors being slightly “softened”, almost as if they were a tiny bit out of focus.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks. Good point.

[@barnabasnemeth3552]

@@BlakeRiddergee… I was probably watching your video late late night, cause you actually do pull down the sharpness on your face in the 7th minute of the video. Sorry, my bad. Maybe it just still appeared a tad bit too sharp to me, idk. I am really nit picking here. Sorry.

[@nikilragav]

I wish you showed using the tracker there at the end. Not sure why you decided to fast forward that part. But awesome job! Didn't know Resolve had the depth math and face FX now!

[@MaximoJoshua]

this was awesome, would love to see you create an unreal engine virtual camera in a 3d space and connect it to the tv. I have wanted to try doing that forever, I actually think that a good 4k oled can definitely work for tight shots like this...

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks. I would like to. But I have a Mac 🖥️

[@MaximoJoshua]

@@BlakeRidder how does that stop you?

[@BlakeRidder]

@@MaximoJoshua don’t think it works with Mac for what you just described. At least not very well.

[@MaximoJoshua]

@@BlakeRidder which part doesn’t work? I would imagine it’s just hdmi to the tv? I haven’t tried, but curious what issues you ran into…

[@JoATTech]

At least 4k USD in the gear, but still cheaper then whole virtual set :P. Nice end result.

[@BlakeRidder]

Ha yes. But I meant zero cost from specifically virtual production gear. Such as green screen. Large LED wall. High end computer power. Camera tracking devices. Expensive lighting.

[@JoATTech]

@@BlakeRidder Tube lights ain't cheap :D, but I'm just teasing :). I have to try myself the trick with TV. I actually love virtual studios based on 3 "cheap" TV mounted vertically, which emulate window in the background.

[@Rsmith420]

@@JoATTech they’re like $60 each on Amazon

[@JoATTech]

@@Rsmith420 I got 4 Ulanzi VL119, for around $100, but they are really shitty. Real deal tubes start from $200 a piece (nanlite, amaran, etc). The cheap ones are not worth buying (speaking from experience :D).

[@itsKilmaru]

👌

[@TiagoTiagoT]

02:03 Don't got a camera operator or a camera robot? Perhaps you could just get your TV to show a greenscreen, and you spin in place trying to keep your chest very rigid, and then do camera tracking treating your chest and shoulders as markers, and then composite your background using the camera tracking to make it move as needed?

[@alpidem]

No camera moving ?

[@eymuro]

No cost? How much is your camera? Computer(that's already fortune)? Programs you are using(Da vinci, Blender is free I know but professionally I have to use mostly adobe products unfortunately)? Plug-ins? How much time need to render? It is cost a lot I think. Even if you had all of instruments, still you need a lot of time for this(and you need that time for earning money already). For comparison; In my country USD dollar is x30 and if you want basic amateur good camera you need a lot of money just for that. :) But thank you it is a good video to dream about... (My friend from work sold his car to buy an old computer LOL)

[@BlakeRidder]

You forgot the room I was in has to be paid on a monthly fee. The clothes I was wearing you saw cost money too. In fact my body being alive cost me a lot of money every single second. BUT, I just discovered we are actually in a computer simulation, so it’s all fake illusion of money. Hence the zero cost.

[@dgpreston5593]

This works for so many genres... 😮😢😂😅😊

[@ramanandh1261]

Who are you man!😂😂😂 u explained the real thought process and self talks while grading 😂😂😂

[@BlakeRidder]

Haha. Is that bad?

[@ramanandh1261]

@@BlakeRidder no man,its damn good ,never seen someone been real like this! Subbed!

[@daddorocket]

Thanks for sharing. You might have some legal issues with your prompt mentioning "Guardians of the Galaxy" which I'm sure, is copyrighted.

[@BlakeRidder]

Yea I got sued. Paid my fine.

[@FergHyde]

Now you need to work out how to show your puppy being friends with Rocket Raccoon.

[@nolidee4917]

buddy!!!!!

[@BlakeRidder]

Ma'am!

[@nolidee4917]

@@BlakeRidder this was genius

[@BlakeRidder]

@@nolidee4917 thanks 😊

[@shivang_]

you forgot to match the highlights

[@RadikalizedX]

I love an respect Asians one thing bout them DONT matter if they got $1.00 to they name they gone show u how to make things work to the point you’ll be beyond surprised like wow it’s Hollywood style if no one ever seen this video with dedication he has shown you can make it anywhere ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@maxkitaev3524]

Virtual production at home. Static portrait shots only

[@dcsensui]

This is a great example of how a digital virtual set basically works.

[@ThoughtFission]

Amazing, thank you.Just one quick observation. 2x $200 lights, 1x $300 software and 1x $? camera doesn't really = zero budget.

[@BlakeRidder]

Thanks. I meant zero budget being spent on virtual production specific items. Such as volume LED screen. Studio rental. Massive lighting. Camera trackers. Many computer powers.

[@drxephonic5405]

What size tv did you use?

[@BlakeRidder]

It’s a 55 inch TV