I keep productions running — on-set technical support, camera & tracking systems, shot planning — with a graduate research background in Unreal Engine, LED volumes, and in-camera VFX.
Trace Thompson is a production technician and real-time artist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. He holds a Master of Art + Design (MADTECH) from NC State and a BA in Digital Arts and Interactive Media from UNC Wilmington, where his graduate thesis focused on virtual production as a training framework for emerging filmmakers.
On set, Trace is comfortable wherever the work needs him — planning shots, running camera and tracking systems, calibrating lighting, and solving technical problems in real time to keep a production moving. That same hands-on instinct is what pulled him toward virtual production: LED volumes, Unreal Engine environments, and in-camera visual effects that put those same skills to work at the edge of what's possible on set.
He's looking for his next opportunity on a production team — general production roles where he can keep building a broad, dependable skill set, with an eye toward growing into virtual production and real-time filmmaking long-term.
A look at recent work across production and virtual production projects.
From LED-volume research to a client-sponsored shoot, here's a closer look at how Trace's production and virtual production skills come together.
For his graduate thesis, Trace directed and produced an end-to-end virtual production demonstration, then turned the process into a set of educational resources documenting the real-time VFX workflow behind it — from environment build to final in-camera shot. The project doubles as a case study evaluating virtual production as a training framework, aimed at making the technology more approachable for filmmakers who are new to it.
As a lab assistant in NC State's virtual production research space, Trace builds and maintains the real-time pipeline that lab projects run on — designing environments in Unreal Engine for LED-wall and in-camera VFX (ICVFX) work, and configuring the tracking systems (nDisplay, LiveLink, Switchboard) that keep the camera, the wall, and the virtual environment in sync. Much of the work happens before a camera ever rolls: calibrating lighting and color so physical and virtual elements read as one continuous world on screen.
On a client-sponsored production for Visit Raleigh's esports initiative, Trace helped plan shots that combined physical and virtual environments and stepped in front of the camera for scenes built around that blend. Balancing client expectations with a fast-moving schedule, he worked across departments to keep the shoot on track without losing the creative intent behind the virtual set pieces.
A production-ready skill set with a specialization in real-time and virtual production tools.
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Open to production and virtual production roles in Raleigh-Durham and beyond. Reach out by email or phone.