Out in Burbank, California, a Wichita State University alumna is working on a multi-million dollar “monster movie” project, utilizing new technology at Shocker Studios.
Shocker Studios’ new LED volume wall will be used to shoot synthetic scenes for the film, and it’s not the only WSU tie the alumna is utilizing — a student has signed onto the project as well.
Senior game design student Luke Samuelson said he was hired because of his role as the student technician for the LED volume wall. Samuelson is responsible for all aspects of the LED room, from coordinating synthetic scenes and managing all the technical moving parts to developing and designing the scenes themselves.
The LED volume wall can be compared to a green screen, but instead of the scene being created in post-production, an LED paneled wall surrounds the set where the actors can see and interact with their synthetic environment in real time.
Although a recent invention, the technology has gained traction through its application on sets such as Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” DC’s “The Batman” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
Samuelson referred to the offer as a “lightning striking.” The last experience that resembled this offer was his work last semester with Ballet Wichita when he motion-captured dancer movements in real-time.
Now, Samuelson is working alongside industry professionals, including a tech director for the fifth season of “Stranger Things.”
“It’s a little jarring, going from just being a student here at Wichita State and now kind of being thrown into the industry,” Samuelson said. “Now, it’s kind of like the big sink or swim moment.”
How it started
Justin Rorabaugh is the director of the School of Digital Arts and Shocker Studios. He said the partnership swiftly began after an alumna, who did not disclose their name, learned of the new tech and expressed interest in working with the WSU studio.
“She had heard what all we were doing with the School of Digital Arts, and so she wanted to learn more about it,” Rorabaugh said. “And she came here for a tour, and as she toured through and saw our capabilities … she (was) like, ‘OK, so, I’m working on this project … is this something you guys could possibly partner with us on?’”
Samuelson became attached to the project in part because the LED studio relies on students to run it.
Founded in 2019, the space has established itself as a bridge to professional opportunities for students, specifically by “getting their work in the hands and eyes of industry professionals,” Rorabaugh said.
Rorabaugh said that student partnership with a major commercial industry project, as rare as it is, has been built into the studio’s design.
“There’s over 150 different partners and clients that we’ve done work within the time we’ve been here,” Rorabaugh said. “This is just the latest installment of the type of stuff that we do.”
Although Shocker Studios has had success working on advertisements with smaller companies, Samuelson said that the previous projects have been “nothing of this creative scope.”
Samuelson and other WSU graduates will work to develop scenes in-house at Shocker Studios.
Filming is set to begin at the start of next year.
“It’s definitely kind of going to push Shocker Studios in a great place for creative minds,” Samuelson said, “And allow a lot more unique and creative projects that we haven’t been able to do, especially in the film section.”
