Certificate of Achievement in Virtual Production in Cinema

A Certificate of Achievement in Virtual Production prepares students to work in the emerging and fast-growing area of Virtual Production in Film and Television production. This combines traditional filmmaking techniques with the new technologies of high-resolution interactive projection and LED background environments that can interact with and respond to moving cameras and live action performance. A Certificate of Achievement is awarded upon completion of all required courses with a grade of C or better.

Program Student Learning Outcomes -

1.    Acquire fundamental technical knowledge and fundamental creative principles in filmmaking and Virtual Production.

2.    Operate the tools of Virtual Production for the cinematic medium.

3.    Demonstrate critical thinking, i.e. Recognize and analyze the technical qualities, cultural elements, and aesthetic values of their own and other’s work.

4.    Collaborate professionally with other colleagues in the field.

Students will get education, experience and training that can lead to Virtual Production employment in roles such as Digital Production Assistant, Volume Operator, On-set Interactive Camera Operator, Virtual Camera Operator, Real-time Compositor, LED Technician, Video Technician.

It is projected that the program will award 20-25 certificates annually.

Program Goals & Objectives

A Certificate of Achievement in Virtual Production in Cinema prepares students to work in the emerging and fast-growing area of Virtual Production in Film and Television production. This combines traditional filmmaking techniques with the new technologies of high-resolution interactive projection and LED background environments that can interact with and respond to moving cameras and live action performance.

The marketable skills of set up, calibration, and troubleshooting of high-resolution screen arrays to provide immersive interactive backgrounds for live-action filmmaking and other entertainment production will be in focus. Students will learn to import and manage pre-created 3D background environments, ensure proper calibration of systems, and connectivity between cameras and computer systems so that physical movement can be accurately tracked and replicated on screen. They will also learn to adjust lighting to ensure proper matching between physical foreground and digital background “realities.”

Film, television, and immersive and interactive media (AR, VR, video games) are rapidly changing how they produce their projects. In the past, these projects had traditional filmmaking methods at their center, primarily shooting on location or on sound stages. This meant the creation of elaborate and expensive sets complete with decorations created by set designers and props specialists. However, the American film, television, and game industries are rapidly adopting new standards—many have adopted a "virtual studio" model, known as

Virtual Production, that employs hyper-realistic LED screens that take the place of locations and elaborate sets.

In Virtual Production the computer-created images provide greater detail than previously possible, and the filmmakers have more control over the locations and sets—no weather interruptions, no hauling many large trucks of equipment and crews to faraway locations, and no dependence on unreliable location resources. The result has been better-looking films, TV shows, and games for a much lower production cost. Due to these new technologies, these industries are saving millions of dollars on each show they produce.

However, all of the production and post-production crews, including camera operators, assistant camera operators, cinematographers, dolly grips, lighting crews, editors, and more, must be trained to use all new cameras, lighting, imaging, and computer-based systems. There are currently no training programs in our service area to meet the new needs of the industry’s Virtual Production sector. Who will train these new employees? Pasadena City College will train the next generation of entertainment industry assistants through this program.

This will be a part of the Cinema program within Visual Arts and Media Studies. As this is new and innovative technology, there are no similar programs currently. This program will be among two other certificate programs within the Cinema Department, which include Occupational Skills Certificates in:

• Cinema-Cinematography
• Cinema-Production/Filmmaking

According to the COE LMI data: 

While there are six community colleges in California that currently offer virtual production-focused programs, none of these programs are located in the Los Angeles/Orange County region. 

60 Annual Enrollment projects (non-duplicative)

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