LFA Alumni Eloise Singer Gives VR Filmmaking Masterclass at Picturehouse Create

24 April 2025

Ahead of the release of Singer Studios’ much-anticipated Trailblazer, Eloise Singer was recently invited to give a masterclass on VR filmmaking at the inaugural Picturehouse Create. The successor to Sundance London, Picturehouse Create saw hundreds of film, TV, and gaming industry experts come together at Picturehouse Central to network discuss the current state of the entertainment medium.

Eloise took to the stage in Screen 4 of Picturehouse Central alongside Dave Raynard, CEO of Dream Reality Interactive and seasoned video game industry veteran. Filmmaking Certificate graduate Eloise is no stranger to the spotlight, having recently been nominated alongside her team for an Emmy for previous project The Pirate Queen, which stars screen legend Lucy Liu.

Eloise Singer and Dave Ranyard sit in director's chairs with microphones in hand, talking in front of a large cinema screen. The screen has a graphic for the game 'Trailblazer: The Untold Story of Bertha Benz'.

Eloise recounted the story of The Pirate Queen’s long journey to the screen, with initial plans to develop a feature length film scuppered by Covid in 2020. She and Ranyard discussed the merits of VR as a filmmaking tool in this light, with the project saved from cancellation thanks to VR’s strengths as a remote work medium. Soon enough, their prototype was picked up by Meta for funding, and the full version – with Lucy Liu attached – ultimately won the Storyscapes Award at Tribeca Film Festival and the Discovery Award at Raindance Film Festival.

A chance encounter with a BAFTA-winning producer

Eloise’s next project with Singer Studios, Trailblazer (starring Daisy Ridley), began to form swiftly after The Pirate Queen’s success. She shared an anecdote with Picturehouse Create’s audience on how she landed BAFTA-winner Lesley Paterson as an executive producer, highlighting the power of serendipity in the film and entertainment industry:

I met the producer of All Quiet on the Western Front, Lesley Paterson, when she was doing the press tour for it. I interviewed her for a podcast that I host, and at the time, we got on like a house on fire. She said to me, “If you're in LA, or if you ever want to talk about a project, just reach out.” And I thought it was a very “LA” thing to say to someone, being like, “Let's do something together.” Cut to: a year later, and I was on the flight going to the Emmys, and this blonde woman was sitting in front of me, and she popped up, and I looked at her, and I was like, "Lesley?” She said, "I remember you. You interviewed me for a podcast a year ago.” Anyway, we had dinner, and I spoke about the Trailblazer. And she was like, “Let's do it. Let's make it together.

Eloise Singer

Stories like this emphasise the importance of making impressions on the people you meet in your filmmaking journey, regardless of what stage of that journey you’re at. Bottom line: people remember enthusiastic and friendly people. Throughout her masterclass session, Eloise reiterated that the lines in the entertainment industry are becoming more and more blurred when it comes to the ways in which filmmakers tell their stories:

I think it's a really nice example of how the world is cross-pollinating. If you're thinking about how you want to tell your story, or if you're struggling with how you're telling your story in a traditional format, there are opportunities to tell stories in different ways and attach really interesting people.

Eloise Singer

Eloise Singer and Dave Ranyard sit in front of a cinema screen with microphones, giving a presentation to an audience.

Low-budget options for VR filmmaking

VR has a justified reputation for being an expensive medium to work within, especially when working in the realm of video game design. However, Eloise emphasises that there are low-budget options which are well worth exploring:

It depends on the format that you want to create. Because if you're doing something that is literally just a VR film, you can just film it. There are also 360 cameras that you can use as well. If you don't want to use your phone, there’s GoPros too.

Eloise Singer

As Singer Studios gears up for Trailblazer’s release next month, London Film Academy wishes Eloise and her team the best of luck and is looking forward to our students and staff experiencing it.