Since five years the Netherlands Film Academy uses the real time game engine Unity3D for all interactive courses on the Interactive Media & Visual Effects department. Unity has a relatively low learning curve and allows our students to make visually outstanding interactive experiences.

A couple of years ago our department acquired a Lightcraft Previzion virtual camera system that can show real actors in a virtual environment in camera in real time. This technique, called Virtual Production, has created a revolution in the film industry.

Previzion uses a proprietary software to pull this off and this has some disadvantages. First of all we have found the workflow importing assets from Maya sub optimal and, more importantly, the closed nature of the software does not allow us to add any functionality.

Luckily Previzion has a protocol to send it’s information to 3rd party application so I started researching if we could make a connection with Unity. Early 2013 we successfully tested an early prototype where most of the information from Previzion was visualised in Unity in real time. 

After this successful test we realised the combination of Previzion hardware and Unity software has more potential uses than just previsualisation. Combined with 3D sensors such as Kinect, PrimeSense and Leap Motion it should be possible for an actor to actually interact with a virtual environment.

This blog will document our research of realtime technology in cinema production as well as provide links to new developments that are relevant to our research 

for my latest project at Minivegas we created a virtual garden where plants dance to music people can choose. As a Kinect detects a person approaching the 7m wide screen the user gets a plant avatar to dance with. This works for up to 2 people.

This wednesday I will do a workshop on how to use your body as a controller to make music in Ableton Live.

location: Off-Corso Rotterdam
time: 19.00

Recently I’ve programmed a Facebook app for Roland Emmerich‘s new movie Anonymous, about William Shakespeare.

The app allows Facebook users to compose their own sonnet, choose a background image from their Facebook albums or choose a supplied one, and post the sonnet to their friend’s wall.

Design and concept by amoeba design and filmtiki, programming by yours truly.

Technologies used:
Flash
JavaScript
PHP

if you want to have a go, click here (disable popup blockers so you can give the app permissions)

…:::OpenStudio:::…
2011 Meditations On Eurydice; Live Cinema by Sean Winters

featuring:
Jilt Van Moorst / NL
Sander Bolk / NL
Jos Heutmekers / NL
Sean Winters / USA
+String Quartet:
Anna Britala / LV
Chloé Chabanole / CA
Carmen Bruno / CA
Cecylia Fenrych / PL

Sunday, October 2, 2011
Venue: STEIM, Utrechtsedwarsstraat 134, Amsterdam
Time: 16.30 hrs. (doors open: 16.00 hrs.)
Charge: Free

Sean Winters and his crew will again be ending their residency at
STEIM with a presentation / performance of their on-going Live Cinema
project exploring the myth of Orpheus.

Following the anonymous stamped vinyl release, the cat is now out of the bag, and available as digital release as well:

Sebastian’s Record Of The Day: Jilt Van Moorst ‘Oops’ [caravan]

Some feedback:

Ewan Pearson

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 5/5

Secret weapon’s not so secret any more! Oops? Oh my!

laurent garnier

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5

well funked up !!!! I liiike thisssss

Alex Flitsch Connaisseur Recordings

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 unique and abstract tracks…love it!

Mary Anne Hobbs Venue: bbc radio1

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 thank you 🙂

John Osborn Venue: cookies / horst / crackers / Berlin

Favourite Track: None Rating: 5/5 THIS IS HEAVY. Dope dope dope techno!!

Ripperton www.perspectiv-records.com

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 5/5

you make my hearth beat! Really Hi class relase, love it!

martyn Venue: 3024 Publication: http://www.3024world.com

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5 Loving OOPS! will play. .big -m

Cosmin TRG Venue: Ritmat/ Rush Hour

Publication: http://www.CosminTRG.com

Favourite Track: None Rating: 5/5

All over these! So good. Can’t wait to play out.

Derek Plaslaiko Venue: the Bunker / Spectral – NYC Publication: plaslaiko.net

Favourite Track: None Rating: 5/5

Both of these are absolutely sick!!! Thanks soooo much! Will support fully!

Fidz Venue: Multiverse HQ

5/5 fucking awesome

Nick Höppner Venue: Berghain/Panorama Bar

4/5

really like the sketchiness in “Untitled”. quite a fresh take on acid!

Steve Barker Venue: BBC Radio Lancashire Publication: www.onthewire.uk.com Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5

On show next week best Steve On the Wire / BBC www.otwradio.blogspot.com

Rudy Kizer Venue: WRZX Indianapolis Publication: Http://facebook.dj/hitthedecks

Favourite Track: Untitled Rating: 4/5 awesome mix tools – very useful

Ben UFO Venue: Hessle Audio

Favourite Track: None Rating: 5/5 thanks

Thomas / dj Astma

Venue: Berlin Publication: Reclaim the Beats

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 Stuff for Freaks 😉

Mike Hulme

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5

Nice release, interesting elements and good to hear lots of analogue goodness going on….but it feels more like 2 live, modular synth jams rather than structured tracks…good for the 5am zombies though….and who dunnit??

nick warren Venue: bristol Publication: djnickwarren.com

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5 a ovely piece of wobblyness

Dubfire Venue: Sci + Tec Publication: myspace.com/djdubfire

Favourite Track: Untitled Rating: 5/5 thanks

phil kieran Venue: stiff kitten Publication: www.philkieran.com

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 weird and interesting, thanks

philip sherburne

Publication: beatportal, rhapsody, resident advisor, emusic, the wire, pitchfork, spin, etc.

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5 very cool. rainforest techno…

Diccon Venue: Chemical Records, Bristol

Publication: www.chemical-records.co.uk / iDJ Magazine

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 wunky!

quenum

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5 good stuff

Tim Green Venue: Fabric / UK

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 5/5

oops!! the one for me! will play this out of course. b-side great as well! cheers

luke solomon

Favourite Track: Untitled Rating: 4/5 super wicked

i.d. Venue: bristol Publication: www.bassmusicblog.com Sent: 03/06/10 15:57 Feedback: 07/06/10 15:35

Favourite Track: Untitled Rating: 4/5 untitled is the one for me!

Chris Duckenfield Venue: Various/TONIC Show/Sheffield

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 4/5 Oozing class, quirk and originality – love it !

corin arnold / ed2000

Venue: solar lounge berlin / spindler+klatt / maria / bln.fm and multicult20.de

Publication: www.dangerous-drums.de

Favourite Track: None Rating: 4/5

big fan of caravan . a bit more info might have been helpfull 🙂 i would love to radio play it but they want titel artist label and some info …like both trax a lot . ooops has the edge . support !!

todd burns Venue: new york Publication: resident advisor

Favourite Track: Oops Rating: 3/5 thanks.

I’m doing live visuals for a unique performance:

Orpheus2010 – Live Cinema by Sean Winters

featuring:
Sean Winters / USA
Jilt van Moorst / NL
Sander Bolk / NL
Jos Heutmekers / NL
Kaspars Kurdeko / LV

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Venue: STEIM, Utrechtsedwarsstraat 134, Amsterdam
Time: 20.30 hrs. (door open: 20:00 hrs.)

Sean Winters and his crew will be ending their 5 day residency with a presentation / performance of their on-going project Orpheus2010.

Orpheus2010 is a ‘happening’ that includes Trumpet, Nord, Saxophones, Synthophone, Drum Set, Ableton, MaxMSP, Flowmotion, DVD players, Projector(s), 5.1 Surround Sound, Micro-Narrative Visual Poems, Audience Participation, Costumes, Props and Lights.

http://steim.org/steim/events.php?event=352

Working on an interactive video installation for the Big Brother Awards where visitors are tracked with a camera and all their personal secrets are overlaid for everyone to see. Come check it out at De Balie in Amsterdam tonight!

My new EP is out on Vinyl!

Jilt van Moorst – Sublimination EP is out on vinyl  in USA and Japan, Europe wide release next week!

after that the digital release will be Beatport exclusive for a week before being unleashed to the world at large.

Just came back from Camp festival in Stuttgart, what a blast!

I loved the concept, take 10 performing artists from all over the world who have never worked before, put them together for a week in a half empty museum to come up with a collaborative audiovisual performance.

We chose a large dome as our venue which was still being renovated when we were working on the performance, and the delivery date was only one hour before the first performance. Luckily, the Germans run a tight ship, and the room was delivered  a day early.

It was very fun and inspiring to work closely with others for a week on something very experimental, and the performances were very rewarding. I hope to have pictures and footage soon.

VISUALS
Vadim Epstein (RU/Moskau) / Jilt van Moorst (NL/Amsterdam) /
Francois Pirault (FR/Paris) / Ursula Scherrer (CH/New York) / 
Scott Mcpherson (UK/Brighton)

SOUND
Antonis Anissegos (GR/Berlin) / Simon Berz (CH/Zürich) / 
Ludger Hennig (DE/Leipzig) / Oliver Prechtl (DE/Stuttgart) /
Thomas Maos (DE/Tübingen) / Fried Dähn (DE/Tübingen)

INSTALLATION / SKULPTUR
Stefan Potengowski (DE/Tübingen)