DePaul film students using technology only available in Hollywood

CHICAGO - Local film students from DePaul University are using emerging technology, said to be the future of filmmaking.

FOX 32 went behind the scenes during filming Tuesday on Chicago's West Side.

In a trailer for the movie, you might hear the description that it's "Mission Impossible" meets "Toy Story." Plus, the director would want to highlight the tension of a joyride they were filming, as it takes an unexpected twist.

"They realize that they're being chased by baby and that they're really small," explained DePaul student Connor Godinich.

Students from DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts were filming anything but an old-fashioned car chase. No roads or stunt drivers were needed — just new technology inside DePaul Cinespace Studios.

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Assistant professor Brian Andrews teaches the class using a wall of LED screens, plus video game engines that sync up with the camera. It's called a "Virtual Production Environment" — creating special effects that don't look like special effects.

The students were surrounded by film and TV productions at Cinespace Chicago. It's the world they hope to join one day.

"I'm 21. I would never have like gotten this opportunity in a traditional job sense. The closest thing to it would be me sweeping the floors of someone else who's doing this," said Godinich.

But now Godinich is directing the short film, using the same technology Hollywood will show off in upcoming summer blockbusters, like the new Jurassic Park and Thor movies.

"No other school in the Midwest has this technology, and employers are clamoring to get people trained in this particular field," said Andrews.

Andrews hopes to get funding to make the technology a permanent fixture for both DePaul and others, to use and create yet another feature driving Chicago filmmaking forward.