Why Virtual Production Supervisors Should Be Independent Heads of Department

As the film industry continues to evolve with the integration of virtual production (VP) techniques, a significant challenge remains: the tendency to route VP responsibilities through the VFX department. This approach not only limits the potential of virtual production but also creates structural issues that can undermine both the creative vision and the financial efficiency of a project.

The Misconception: Virtual Production as an Extension of VFX

It’s easy to understand why some might view virtual production as an extension of visual effects. After all, it involves many of the same tools and technologies—such as real-time rendering, LED volumes, and motion capture—that have traditionally fallen under the VFX umbrella. However, this perspective fails to recognize the full scope of virtual production and its potential to influence the creative and technical decisions that shape a film from its inception.

When virtual production is placed under the VFX department, the VP budget becomes part of the VFX budget, which is often restrictive. This financial constraint limits the ability to fully explore the creative and technical possibilities that virtual production offers. Moreover, this structure pushes virtual production downstream, rather than integrating it into the early stages of the project where it can have the most impact.

Bringing Virtual Production Upstream

The role of a Virtual Production Supervisor should not be confined to executing the directives of the VFX team. Instead, they should be involved early in the pre-production phase, ideally working alongside the director and the director of photography (DP) when the project is first being conceptualized. As a consultant and collaborator, the VP Supervisor can offer insights into what technical solutions and creative possibilities can be explored from the outset, leading to a more efficient and productive workflow.

This early involvement also allows the VP Supervisor to help the producer rethink the distribution of funds across departments, optimizing resources and potentially reducing costs. Such financial and creative efficiency cannot be achieved if the VP Supervisor is merely consulted by the VFX department later in the process.

The Problem with Outsourcing VP Supervision to Companies

The industry has seen the rise of virtual production companies which offer VP supervision as part of their services. While these companies bring valuable technical expertise and decades of experience for some and this systems is perfect for major productions (the "1%"), there’s a fundamental issue with outsourcing the supervision part of the virtual production process to an external company for smaller productions: in the chain of decisions, it shifts responsibility away from the production and into the hands of a third party, however competent and well meaning.

In traditional mid-level budget filmmaking, productions do not hire a company to take charge of cinematography or set design—they hire a talented individual who shoulders the responsibility of the department. This person works directly for the producer, ensuring not only that their work aligns with the creative vision of the film but also that their legal responsibility falls under the Production company. However, when a production hands over the supervision of virtual production to a company, the company often appoints a VP Supervisor who does not directly answer to the producer. This can create a disconnect between the virtual production process and the overall goals of the film. In certain countries such as France, it can even create legal issues as any personal working on set must be under the Producer's payroll for insurance and responsibility reasons.

The Case for Freelance VP Supervisors as Independent HoDs

The best approach to avoid these pitfalls is to hire a freelance Virtual Production Supervisor as an independent Head of Department (HoD). This VP Supervisor should be hired directly by the production, just like the DP, Set Designer, or any other key creative roles. By doing so, the VP Supervisor is responsible for serving the production, not an external company and his legal responsibility falls directly under the Producer's.

With this structure, the VP Supervisor can collaborate with a virtual production company as a technical provider, rather than as a creative authority. This ensures that all virtual production solutions are developed and implemented with the film’s best interests in mind. The VP Supervisor’s role is to lead the virtual production process, working closely with the DP and other HoDs to integrate these solutions seamlessly into the overall production.

With this system, the bigger VP companies also potentially gain a new a tremendous amount of independent VP supervisors working as many business providers for them.

While this might not be the best fit for all purposes, I strongly believe that it is a solution that the film industry will be leaning more and more towards in the future. Especially for allowing lower budget productions to implement VP in their workflow when they can't afford the services of the bigger players of the industry.

Conclusion: Elevating the Role of the VP Supervisor

For virtual production to truly revolutionize filmmaking, we need to rethink how it’s integrated into the production process. By establishing the VP Supervisor as an independent Head of Department, directly accountable to the production, we can unlock new efficiencies, drive down costs, and ensure that virtual production serves the film’s creative vision.

Outsourcing VP supervision to companies may offer convenience, but it sometimes comes at the cost of creative control, financial flexibility and sometimes even legal responsibilities (according to certain countries labor laws). To safeguard the integrity of the production, the VP Supervisor should be directly involved from the beginning, working alongside other key department heads to create a cohesive and successful film. This approach will not only benefit the production's bottom line but also elevate the creative potential of virtual production, allowing it to be used to its full potential and on a wider array of productions.

This article was dictated by the author, with the AI serving only to transcribe and organize the content, without taking any creative license. It's content engages its author only.