Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has launched Torchlight, a groundbreaking advanced visualization facility located at Sony Pictures in Culver City. The space will feature the latest in proprietary technology from Sony Group companies in collaboration with Epic Games’ real-time 3D tool, Unreal Engine.
Torchlight allows filmmakers to create digital scenes prior to principal photography, in a hands-on virtual environment using Unreal Engine and virtual cameras, including the Virtual Production Tool Set, which seamlessly links virtual environments with on-set production using Sony’s digital cinema VENICE camera. The facility, which also gives filmmakers the flexibility to communicate to stakeholders in real-time and with unique specificity in film production, provides services that can help serve as a roadmap for visual effects, art department assets, principal photography, set design, gaming assets, marketing assets, and more.
The space will also be equipped with Sony technologies including the mobile motion capture system, mocopi™, which provides full-body motion tracking with lightweight sensors, and Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking system, SkeleTRACK, which is used by top sports leagues around the world for real-time player, object and ball tracking. These technologies, and more, are incorporated into the workflow at Torchlight.
Sony Corporation will continue to provide Torchlight with the latest advancements in technology, as the Sony Group companies work together to continue to develop and test new technologies.
“Sony values creators and we are always searching for ways to make the most of their time. Torchlight empowers filmmakers with real-time creation to help turn creative sparks to stories,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman and CEO of Sony Group Corporation.
Torchlight will be overseen by Alex LoCasale (SVP, visualization) and Alex Cannon (creative director, visualization) who will report to Andy Davis (president, production administration, Columbia Pictures) and Sanford Panitch (president, Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group).
“For my entire career, I always dreamed about a state-of-the-art facility where we could give filmmakers, creators and storytellers a way to experiment with the highest quality pre-visualization and give them the ability to play with ideas and sequences–and even entire films,” said Panitch. “Sony’s extraordinary technology and its investment in Epic Games along with the brilliant leadership at Torchlight have made this dream come true.”
Cannon added, “Coming from a traditional VFX background, I’ve experienced the challenges that come with developing a filmmaker’s vision and the pressures that build when a project ramps up. Torchlight offers filmmakers the ability to express their ideas in real-time, using tools designed for their unique sensibilities. We can invite creative partners into our space and within moments produce memorable images that would normally take weeks or months.”
LoCasale joins SPE from DNEG Visual Effects. As head of business development at that VFX house, LoCasale oversaw all revenue generation and new business initiatives, establishing a new creative services wing, partnering with studios and filmmakers alike, to better realize their collective creative visions. As SVP of business affairs, LoCasale worked with DNEG’s partner studios on deal strategy and negotiations, working very closely with SPE, amongst others, to create mutually beneficial business arrangements. LoCasale manages the day-to-day business side of Torchlight, working with teams across Sony brands to better bridge the Technical and Creative missions of Torchlight and Sony Corporation.
Cannon’s most recent projects include Bong Joon-ho’s latest movie Mickey 17, The Last of Us for HBO, and Red One for Amazon directed by Jake Kasdan. In addition to overseeing the creative and artistic aspects of Torchlight, Cannon utilizes his longstanding relationship with filmmakers to supervise projects directly. Supervisor credits include Bullet Train, The Matrix Resurrections, Uncharted, Blue Beetle, 65, Kraven the Hunter, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Perhaps Cannon’s most distinguished skill is his ability to create content from scratch. He is often requested to design pitches for confidential in-development projects and his work is often a deciding factor in green-lighting a show. Cannon built a robust and talented previs department at DNEG, spearheading real-time pipeline development, using the Unreal Engine within DNEG’s workflow. Prior to joining DNEG, Cannon supervised previs with director David Leitch for the Fast and Furious franchise spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2 and oversaw visualization on Australia’s Gold Coast for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Sony Group Corporation (SGC) is an investor in Epic Games. The investment is an effort to collaborate with Epic in pursuit of new entertainment possibilities by combining their expertise, including their powerful game engine, Unreal Engine, with Sony’s various technologies.
Torchlight is operational and currently working on several projects.
