Persona 3 Reload
← ArchiveCredit: Virtual production & VFX · Scissor Films
Live-action trailer for Persona 3 Reload — Seal Your Fate, with Aidan Gallagher, shot on Scissor Films' XR stage in Burbank for Sega of America and Petrol Advertising. Storyboards became Unreal previs, previs became in-camera tests, and the shoot ran on an LED wall with a custom-built treadmill, DMX lighting synced to the engine and markerless motion capture. [DRAFT COPY — rewrite in your own words]
Pre-visualization
The client's storyboards and animatics were rebuilt as virtual previs in Unreal Engine so the visual direction could be signed off before anything was shot. Once approved, in-camera tests showed how those scenes would actually read on the stage.
Storyboard & animatic | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813968/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=780126d4684d95fd76e14574d000c228601a6a5d815bcaf798d6b490db0c3558
Virtual previs | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813996/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=091240162b197f8c3483c18120cc3b37e21f942373e6c416bf8b130ff5f98939
In-camera test | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813949/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=120eec89d10370d2a2dd9c5d6e3dcf77183960834ef34938d218a2192fb02254
Virtual production
https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813950/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=9c2795ad362dda708b7cfcb2c8bca2825577d3fe03479daa786441f54fb33aae
LED wall
Background graphics ran on the LED wall, with the treadmill mounted on a turnstile in front of it to sell the talent walking from scene to scene. He was on a safety harness throughout, so the backgrounds were adjusted to hide the harness line.
LED wall | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813952/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=95d9472cd2599abedc4264803fa728471588fa211188ade20bf71b46257234da
Treadmill | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813979/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=8c47ab1afc4f58bbf78fb5555c0c1f66500af0f4638f0a6ea81fd29bd33537d3
Custom-programmed treadmill
The treadmill was converted to remote control with a Raspberry Pi running QNX: its original control panel, interface and sensors were stripped out and replaced with custom software and a control panel. A Stream Deck acted as the remote, so speed, incline and deceleration could be changed from a safe distance mid-performance.
Technical setup
LED wall, motion capture, RedSpy camera tracking, Stype XR and the custom treadmill, all running together during prelight.
Tech & prelight | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813971/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=4a531065a874893cfc331b550a7a98a0ff4ffe5f12a10d6a9d8f1d6bcd708bf6
DMX lighting
The DMX board was programmed from the Unreal levels so the lighting cue matched each scene on the wall. Scenes changed in rapid succession and each looked different, so every transition needed its own lighting setup.
DMX | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813951/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=a5ff857ce27828658a4941564f075244c6b021997ae4f0f0d517515288e80b69
Production
The shoot day ran clean thanks to the pre-production work and a crew that kept many moving parts in step.
Production | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813965/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=a320ec8877a99543ee3962cc661ee640becb544b00c8f1078de6a3709b7c3773
Mocap
Markerless motion capture ran throughout the real-time shoot so the talent's movement could be captured without touching the frame. Traditional marker mocap on a stunt performer drove the character animation, with the mocap tech matching poses to the Persona characters' in-game moves — precise body control straight off the treadmill and into the air.
Mocap | https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1223813957/rendition/720p/file.mp4%20%28720p%29.mp4?loc=external&log_user=0&signature=d406f5551235fde7881bbbd921d62328f9f3db05e92bd03d54366d74a71fd176
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