Virtual Production Fun and Fundamentals

Seamlessly combining physical and virtual elements, virtual production comprises a range of tools and techniques. LED walls synced with cutting-edge real-time graphics software take up one part of the spectrum, while other methods go back nearly as far as cinema itself.

Learn more here with NAB Amplify’s dedicated resource for virtual production guidance, with interviews, glossaries, case studies, and expert opinions.

CONNECT

From Cloud-First to Virtual Production: Amazon Studios’ Next-Generation Approach

Key technology leaders at Amazon Studios share their insights into constructing the next-generation studio at the 2023 NAB Show.

Create

Virtual Production Might Be Part of the Process, But At This Point, Everybody Needs Education

Adrian Pennington

CREATE

Virtual Production Is Going Great, But… We Have Some Talent and Tech Challenges

Adrian Pennington

CREATE

A Brief Voyage Through the History of Virtual Production

Virtual Production Fundamentals (and Funtimes)

The Future of Production Amplified: ETC@USC Takes Virtual Production into the Cloud with “Fathead”

ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver discusses the making of “Fathead,” a new proof-of-concept for virtual production and cloud-based workflows.

Amplify Content Team

The Future of Virtual in Broadcast Past, Present and Future

The Future of Virtual in Broadcast: Past, Present and Future

Industry experts discuss “The Future of Virtual in Broadcast Past, Present and Future” in the Create Inspiration Theatre at NAB Show 2023.

Brainstorm extended reality virtual production XR

The Separate Set Ups for XR, MR, and Virtual Production

A new white paper from graphics technology vendor Brainstorm examines the pros and cons of various approaches to virtual production.

“Fathead.” Cr: ETC@USC

February 19, 2023

“Fathead:” Virtual Production (Almost) Completely in the Cloud

Multi-studio production experiment “Fathead” aims to push the boundaries of in-camera VFX and on-set virtual production.

Adrian Pennington

Production on “House of the Dragon,” courtesy of HBO

January 24, 2023

Virtual Production: A Primer

Virtual production techniques and technologies are rapidly shaping the future of filmmaking. Here’s what you need to know.

With camera tools that can be exported to previs or into the final visual effect pipeline, Framestore’s in-house virtual scouting system fARsight was employed on “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” Cr: Warner Bros. Pictures

November 1, 2022

Never Mind the LEDs: Alternative Virtual Production Processes

From virtual visualization and virtual location scouting to greenscreen sets, there’s a lot more to virtual production than LED walls.

Virtual production at DNEG

September 1, 2022

Video Games and VFX Make a Very Cute Couple

Real-time game engines may have transformed virtual production, but the current challenge is to have those visuals fully ray-traced.

Image courtesy of MARS Studios, Bild Studios, and Epic Games

November 15, 2022

How Real-Time Technology Is Changing the Game

Real-time technology is providing a competitive advantage for M&E content creators, according to a new survey commissioned by Epic Games.

Adrian Pennington

Sky Studios’ supernatural crime thriller “The Rising,” starring Clara Rugaard as Neve Kelly, employed ARRI Stage London’s automation and playback systems for virtual production. Cr: Sky Studios

September 1, 2022

Inside the (Literally) Action-Packed Virtual Production for Sky Studios’ “The Rising”

Sky Studios’ supernatural crime thriller “The Rising” employed ARRI Stage London’s automation and playback systems for virtual production.

Amplify Content Team

NAB Amplify Demo Days, February 2023, Remote Production and Virtual Production

February 15, 2023

Get Your Demos On: Virtual Production and Remote Production

Each month, NAB Amplify will host a Demo Days event, highlighting a selection of companies, solutions and services.

Amplify Content Team

VFX house Pixomondo turns to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine for virtual production for the fourth season of “Star Trek: Discovery.” Cr: Paramount+

September 1, 2022

How “Star Trek: Discovery” Went Boldly Into Virtual Production

VFX house Pixomondo turns to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine for virtual production for the fourth season of “Star Trek: Discovery.”

Adrian Pennington

February 8, 2023

The Future of Production Amplified: Pushing the Limits of Virtual Production

A.J. Wedding from Orbital Virtual Studios discusses how virtual production is transforming film & television production.

Amplify Content Team

Graphic courtesy of All of it Now, Ingenuity Studios, Unreal Engine, and "The Voice"

October 1, 2022

Questions About Real-Time Production? We Got You.

Inside Epic Games’ “Broadcast and Live Events Field Guide,” designed for harnessing real-time graphics game engines in live production.

Adrian Pennington

“1899,” courtesy of Netflix

November 17, 2022

Behind the Scenes (and Screens) of Netflix’s “1899”

The creators of “1899” understand that virtual production requires designing the story, as well as the set, with rigor and detail.

Emily M. Reigart

In partnership with Samsung, two sets of The Wall were installed to build CJ ENM’s Virtual Production Stage, the world’s largest virtual studio based on Micro LED technology. Cr: Samsung

September 1, 2022

Take a (Virtual) Tour of CJ ENM’s Virtual Production Stage

Korea’s CJ ENM becomes the first production facility to install The Wall, Samsung’s Micro LED technology-driven virtual production solution.

Julian Mitchell

Director David Leitch was drawn to “Bullet Train” not because of the action or comedy, but because of what he calls “this big existential question” at the center of the story. Bryan Tyree Henry as Lemon and Brad Pitt as Ladybug. Cr: Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures

August 14, 2022

“Bullet Train:” Virtual Production, New IP, All the Punching

Director David Leitch’s “Bullet Train” is an assassin movie with comedy, action, and an existential question at the center of it all.

Adrian Pennington

Epic Games and filmmakers’ collective Bullitt assembled a team to test out the latest in-camera VFX toolset, part of the extensive suite of virtual production tools in the Unreal Engine 4.27 release.

August 17, 2021

How Game Engines Can Take Virtual Production Mainstream

Virtual production technologies such as ILM’s StageCraft system leverage Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to display CG environments in real time.

Amplify Content Team

Marvel’s actors and production staff for “Thor: Love and Thunder” enjoyed their use of the new Virtual Production LED Volume while crafting specific scenes. Taika Waititi as Korg and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Cr: Marvel Studios

September 1, 2022

Love, Thunder, LED Volume: ILM StageCraft Advances Virtual Production on Marvel’s “Thor”

Marvel leapfrogs greenscreen technology, employing ILM StageCraft’s The Volume to power virtual production on “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

Julian Mitchell

“Our Flag Means Death.” Cr: HBO Max

Merging Reality with Fantasy: Virtual Production & Visual Effects on HBO Max’s “Our Flag Means Death”

Sam Nicholson, ASC and VFX supervisor David Van Dyke break down how the pirate world of “Our Flag Means Death” was brought to life.

Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby in “Our Flag Means Death,” courtesy of HBO Max. Photo by Photograph by Aaron Epstein/HBO Max

Virtual Production But Sort of Real Pirates (?): Making “Our Flag Means Death”

“Our Flag Means Death” employed a massive 30 by 160-foot LED wall for virtual production of the HBO Max pirate series set on the high seas.

Julian Mitchell

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ DEATH ON THE NILE. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

What’s Advancing the Adoption of Virtual Production?

To avoid sound stage bottlenecks, film and TV productions are increasingly opting to employ virtual production techniques and technologies.

Adrian Pennington

Led by Emily Beecham, the ensemble cast of “1899” includes Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, Miguel Bernardeau, Maciej Musiał, Anton Lesser, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Rosalie Craig, Clara Rosager, Maria Erwolter, Yann Gael, Mathilde Ollivier, José Pimentão, Isabella Wei, Gabby Wong, Jonas Bloquet, Fflyn Edwards, and Alexandre Willaume. Cr: Netflix

September 26, 2021

“1899” and How Netflix Is Viewing Virtual Production

“1899” is revealed to be the first production at Netflix’s Dark Bay, a new Volume stage built at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin.

Adrian Pennington

James McAvoy in “His Dark Materials.” Image courtesy of HBO.

“Filmmaking 1.0 to Filmmaking 5.0” — Virtual Production Technology Is Ready

Real-time game engine renderers have become integral to virtual production, replacing chroma-keying with green screens for LED backdrops.

Adrian Pennington

Dark Bay meets ARRI (left to right): Jantje Friese, Baran bo Odar, Philipp Klausing (all Dark Bay), Nik Summerer (DP on “1899”), Christina Caspers-Roemer (Dark Bay), Dr. Michael Neuhaeuser, Dr. Johannes Steurer, Stefan Soellner, Stephan Schenk, Elfi Kerscher, and David Bermbach (all ARRI). Cr: Alex Forge

Take a Tour of ARRI’s Dark Bay Mixed Reality Studio

German camera manufacturer ARRI launches ARRI Solutions Group, offering of holistic solutions for the global film and television industry.

Fergal Ringrose

Digital Film Tools

January 25, 2021

What’s Next? Virtual Production, Secure Cloud Workflows and Remote Finishing

“Like everyone else in the entertainment industry, we have found ourselves in a new age of innovation and urgency to solve for our greatest challenges,” says DFT COO Nancy Jundi.

virtual production

“Fix it in Prep:” The New Mantra for COVID-Safe Virtual Production

“Virtual production brings together the best of traditional film with the best of video games with graphics and VFX to be able to do a lot more than on a traditional film set."

Adrian Pennington

James McAvoy in “His Dark Materials.” Image courtesy of HBO.

“Filmmaking 1.0 to Filmmaking 5.0” — Virtual Production Technology Is Ready

Real-time game engine renderers have become integral to virtual production, replacing chroma-keying with green screens for LED backdrops.

Adrian Pennington