Safe In Our World is challenging all companies within the video games industry to unite and commit to change. The worlds we create are a refuge for many, but we must consider our teams and the impact our industry has on their lives.
We’re super proud to have signed up to the #LevelUpMentalHealth campaign to keep working towards building a safe, supportive and nurturing environment for all our staff. Find out more about the campaign here.
If there’s one thing we love more than VFX, it’s our team. In our new series, REALTIMERS, we are showcasing the people behind the pixels to see what makes them tick.
This month it’s Cristina, our UE4 Auto Artist, who loves Rick and Morty and became obsessed with the world of CGI in high school.
Name & job title:
Cristina Bidiu, UE4 Artist
So, where do you fit in?
I learned to be more of a generalist over the years, but I do have a soft spot for beautiful environments and automotive.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I came across the CGI industry for the first time when I was in high school, and I was mesmerised by it. It took me 8 years from that realisation to actually become a CGI Artist, but I can say it was worth it. I do love what I do.
Your superpower?
I never give up!
What inspires you on the day-to-day?
Being alive – I try to let myself be inspired every day by simple things, like the smell of winter when you open the window.
Your desert island luxury:
Rick and Morty and My Little Pony!
Your soundtrack:
Instrumental music.
If you could work with anyone, who?
I would have liked to work with the American astronomer Carl Sagan, and make beautiful CGI for Cosmos.
If not this, then what?
A teacher, probably.
Why REALTIME?
I like REALTIME because they treat me like a human and not a resource. REALTIME fulfils all my needs.
People would be surprised that…
I did bodybuilding in my youth! Haha.
Advice you’d give yourself if you were just starting out?
Be patient and keep going. You’ll get there.
“Collaborating with series VFX Supervisor Neil Riley and the team at Bad Wolf, this season brought us a whole new set of magic spells to visualise, from concepts and storyboards to intricate FX work.” (Jonathan Rawlinson, Executive Producer)
We were honoured to re-join Bad Wolf for the third season of Sky TV’s A Discovery of Witches, helping to bring to life magic performed by Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer).
Following several sequences crafted for the second season (which saw us nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Broadcast Tech Innovation awards), our team was tasked with creating magical VFX that showcase how much Diana’s powers have grown.
A Discovery of Witches is now streaming on Sky TV and Now TV in the UK, and Sundance Now, Shudder and AMC+ in the US.
We are celebrating 25 years of REALTIME – a major milestone for an independent studio in the VFX and animation space.
Launched in 1996, we started out in Archvis and CG imagery and animation for the automotive sector for clients including McLaren, Audi, and Ford. We soon found a new niche in creating award-winning video game trailers and in-game cinematics for clients across the globe, including Rare, Codemasters, Disney Interactive and Microsoft Game Studios. Our speciality in story-telling and character animation can be seen in viral trailers including SMITE: To Hell & Back, Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming and, more recently, Subnautica: Below Zero.
In the last few years, we’ve made the move into the broadcast sector, crafting photorealistic VFX and animated characters for shows including BBC’s The War of the Worlds and Sky TV’s A Discovery of Witches. We established a TV VFX department to further support this effort, expanding the size of the studio by 60% in 2021.
Says Tony Prosser, CEO: “It is an extremely exciting time to be in the CG space, as we are seeing a huge growth in the demand for high-quality content across the automotive, games and broadcast sectors. Being a local home-grown company from the North-West, we are hugely proud of our history and legacy.
The focus for the next few years will be nurturing fresh talent that can benefit from the well-seasoned experts that we already have at REALTIME. Remote working is key to growing our team and during the pandemic we’ve proven, to ourselves and to our clients, that we can produce world class productions when we’re not all in the same room.”
In our 25th year, we are also celebrating several award wins and nominations: our work on the second season of A Discovery of Witches is a finalist for Best VFX at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards and the viral trailer for Unknown Entertainment’s Subnautica: Below Zero won the Vega Digital Award for Best Animation. Both projects were awarded a ‘special merit’ at the AEAF awards earlier this year.
Watch the below reel to find out more about how the studio started and our plans for the coming years:
Although September saw car sales fall to their lowest levels in 23 years, EVs had their highest market share for a month on record – 15.2% of all cars sold. With the UK government planning to stop sales of purely petrol and diesel cars by 2030, this number will no doubt rocket up soon.
But are we ready for it? As of now, there are some 1.1 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and conventional hybrid cars on UK roads – but can growth happen without the infrastructure to support it?
The main logistical problem is going to be charging. In the UK, the British government confirmed legislation will be introduced to require any newly built home to have a charging point installed as standard. The rule is expected to come into force in 2022.
Until then, you’ll need to set-up your own charging point (just make sure you don’t do what James May did with his Tesla.) A standard three-pin plug likely won’t do it – not in good time at least – so you’ll need a specific charging point that will set you back at least £450. Though, according to Which, the amount you save over time is worth it.
Outside of the home, wireless charging has been trialed in Nottingham on taxis in a £3.4 million scheme. Lamp-post charging has also been part of the conversation, brought about by companies like char.gy.
While outside of the UK, there is an exciting development happening in Scandinavia. Leading global technology company, ABB, plans to roll out 48 high-power charging stations across the freeways of Denmark, Norway and Sweden to offer premium e-mobility experiences on-the-go. Undoubtedly great news for European EV drivers.
As of earlier this year, the US is also looking to support EV drivers charge up across the country in a bid to help tackle global climate change. President Joe Biden pledged to prioritise a national EV charging network under his $2 trillion infrastructure bill, promising to have at least 500,000 of the devices installed across the U.S. by 2030.
In the grand scheme, this is a very short-term look at the future of EVs – where do they go next? At the top of the agenda surely must be longer ranges and quicker charging times? According to Ovo Energy, the Tesla Model S can go 405 miles on a single charge – that’s enough for Leeds to Cornwall. That sounds great, but in an EV, it means pulling over, waiting 7 hours to charge, and then carrying on.
Beyond consumer vehicles, they could become a part of commercial vehicle fleets very soon. In fact, there are often stories about council vehicles and buses welcoming EVs into their ranks. Last-mile deliveries – a delivery’s final trip between the depot and your door – could make use of EVs. It wouldn’t be the entire journey, but a significant part of it. According to Auto Express, this part of the delivery usually accounts for half of the shipping cost. It’s a way for courier companies to offset some of their costs without rising prices for the consumer.
This is just a drop in the ocean of the world of EVs. We haven’t even begun to talk about R&D into hydrogen fuel cells by the likes of Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, and how it could work in tandem with electric cars. The future of EVs is exciting, but there are challenges ahead. The question is, how will we tackle them?
We’re all about cars here at REALTIME. The future is bright and we’re ready to be a part of it. To talk about your needs, get in touch with us: