How Virtual Production Is Transforming Storytelling

Storytelling in Marketing and business is evolving rapidly. As technology continues to advance, it consistently reshapes the narrative landscape for brands. As a result, several transformations have occurred in the past few years.

One of the most transformative technologies to emerge is virtual production, a game-changer we will explore in this blog. It plays a critical role in reshaping storytelling and offers a glimpse into the exciting future of narrative creation.

Virtual production triggers significant shifts in storytelling processes, ushering in a new era of narrative creation. This helps brands more effectively grab their target audience’s attention.
Starting with a clear definition of the technology, we’ll then explore its profound impact on brands’ storytelling methods.

What is Virtual Production, and How is it Different From Traditional Filmmaking?

Simply put, virtual production is about mixing real-world scenes with elements of the digital world with the help of technology. The aim is to generate visually striking imagery, and virtual production has demonstrated considerable success in achieving this goal.

This merging, which involves adding computer-generated imagery (CGI) to real-world footage, occurs in real-time.
Indeed, virtual production offers a more efficient alternative to traditional green screens. Instead, filmmakers are now using LED walls, which replace the green fabrics that have been used in the industry for years.

Overall, Virtual production encompasses multiple technologies simultaneously, making it an innovative approach. It is the latest video production technique that many movies and television series have leveraged in recent years.
Game engines, such as the renowned Unreal Engine, play a crucial role in integrating CGI, VFX, and digital animation into traditional filmmaking techniques.
Leveraging LED walls allows for adding the desired background while filming real actors instead of post-production edits with green screens. That is how virtual production mixes in real-time. This method improves actors’ and actresses’ performance as they see what environment they are acting in, and their work is streamlined.
Another key technology in virtual production is motion capture, which works alongside LED walls and game engines. This process records the movements of actors and then applies them to digital characters

One of the main advantages of this approach is that visual effects become a central part of filmmaking. Unlike previous times, filmmakers do not have to add visuals after recording scenes with actors in front of a giant green screen.
In summary, the technology we are examining here is revolutionizing the Cinema industry in various ways. In addition to the single benefit we talked about in the paragraph above, virtual production has other pros. Let’s get familiar with them.

What are the Benefits of this recently merged technology?

Similar to all technological advances, virtual production offers multiple pros, and we mentioned one of them earlier in this blog: real-time creation.

Now, it is time to investigate this particular topic more closely and determine its unique advantages over traditional approaches.

Eliminating Various Limitations

In a broader context, this recent technique unleashes creativity for all content creators who leverage it. Zooming in, we can see that several limitations will be demolished due to this freedom.
Specifically, any restriction regarding the physical world will be gone for good. For example, the fact that humans can not fly is no longer a problem, as with virtual production, it is possible to depict our race flying high above clouds!

Thanks to continuous technological advances and virtual production, creating fantasy worlds, alien planets with weird attributes, and even recreating historical sites will be achievable.

Streamlining Workflow

The green era has come to an end. Therefore, complicated post-production edits are no longer required.
As mentioned above, with virtual production, mixing real-world and digital elements takes place in real time. This eliminates the need to invest time after recording scenes to create the final visuals with the required effects.
In simple words, the whole process will be streamlined, and content creation will become more straightforward than ever.

Saving Money and Time

In contrast to traditional filmmaking methods, virtual production requires significantly smaller budgets. There’s no need to transport the entire crew to various global locations to film different scenes. Just one team member with a camera will be enough.

Additionally, virtual production offers significant time-saving benefits. Because creators do not travel to various locations, they can spend extra time enhancing the narrative in diverse ways.
And let’s not forget that the post-production edition times will be decreased notably! As there is no need to add a whole world to the green screen behind real actors.

In addition to these advantages, other benefits will be shown due to the adoption of virtual production in creating content, such as better performance by actors and actresses, enriched lightning, and enhanced remote collaboration.

It is good to examine some instances that have already leveraged this technology. You may be surprised to encounter some of these names!

Some of the Latest Instances that Utilize Virtual Production

In 2009, Avatar was the first movie in cinema history made with virtual production technology. It generated so much buzz and attention that it held the title of the best-selling film in history for several years after its release.

In more than a decade that passed, several other projects were created with this technology, making it a widely adopted technique not only for filmmakers but also for many other industries struggling with creating video content for different purposes.
However, we will discuss movies and TV series here, as they seem more familiar to everyone.
One of the best instances is the Mandalorian series, a Star Wars spin-off. It utilizes virtual production technology in a way that has never been used before.
After that, we have the widely recognized series Game of Thrones, which this blog’s author believes is the best in history. This masterpiece creates several scenes using the technology we are examining here.

The creators of Game of Thrones started leveraging virtual production long before The Mandalorian began streaming. Hence, predictably, HBO and the series crew used it only in complicated scenes with dragons and massive battlefields. These were scenes that needed the help of technology to be visualized, to be more exact.
The Lion King recreation in 2019 also resulted from using virtual production techniques. While it was an animation literally, game engines came into play to create fabulous landscapes within the movie and turn heads toward this new release.

One of the most recent examples is a Netflix series named 1899. The Dark Creators, led by Baran Do Obar, made 1899, the scary, mysterious series with virtual production, too. Dark Bay, with its Massive LED stages owned by the famous streaming service, was the place where actors gathered and played all the scenes on that cursed ship.
Moreover, series like Westworld and the movie Avatar 2, as well as music videos such as No Other Way from SHAED, are created using this latest trend of video content creation.
To some extent, you must fully understand the definition of virtual production and be aware of all its characteristics.
However, we can see that this technology footprint goes beyond filmmaking. As you may have guessed by now, brands can plan to take advantage of it in their storytelling processes. This is the main subject we want to debate in this blog.

So, let’s move on and find out how virtual production can affect brands’ storytelling.

How Does Virtual Production Affect Brands’ Storytelling Processes?

Virtual production can impact storytelling processes in various aspects. Although this technology was initially developed to streamline filmmaking workflow, any firm creating video content can benefit from it.

The effects of virtual production mirror the benefits we discussed earlier in the previous section of the blog, reaffirming its potential to transform the storytelling landscape.
For instance, brands can unleash creativity to craft unique visual stories, as the sky will be the limit thanks to this new technique. Therefore, creating a stunning brand experience will become possible. The opportunities that virtual production provides are nothing like the possibilities of traditional filmmaking approaches.

When narrating your brand’s story with virtual production methods, alongside leveraging XR technologies such as VR and AR, a deep connection between the business and its potential customers is fostered!

Devices like Apple Vision Pro are helpful in creating such immersive experiences.
As said above, leveraging this kind of technology will reduce costs by eliminating the need to travel and film different scenes in various locations. For example, you can record footage of your mascot in Fiji while all staff are working on the project in a studio located in Milan.
If you have a creative mindset, the brand can benefit from extra money and time to enhance other aspects of storytelling, such as character development, or invest in creating stories related to different groups of target audiences.

Reminding you of the real-time nature of this method, we should emphasize that reshoots and revisions will be lowered significantly. From the start of recording scenes, all staff will see the environment where the scene takes place, leading to better performance from all involved parties.

Moreover, another great impact is that brands can modify the visual story for diverse needs, as adjusting creations with virtual production is much easier than doing it with older approaches.
Do not overlook this impact! Up until now, one of the biggest challenges for brands has been that their storytelling process does not suit all their target audiences. Be that as it may, as modifying and adjusting become more accessible than ever, this will no longer be a problem.

Do not forget that the overall quality of the outcome will increase, too. It is an advanced technology we are discussing, allowing creators to make a high-quality combination of the real world and digital elements.

If you plan on creating interactive animation, you will find virtual production beyond just valuable. It can elevate your engaging animation by providing mouth-watering scenes and landscapes.
Additionally, enabling remote collaboration between experts from all over the planet, which we mentioned as a benefit earlier in this blog, provides a brilliant opportunity to involve professionals in crafting an excellent story for your brand. Interestingly, it does not matter where they live, even if it is a few continents away!
However, in the context of Virtual Production for brands, there are some drawbacks and challenges that you should be aware of. We are going to discuss these challenges further in the following section.

What are the challenges with Leveraging Virtual Production for Brands’ Storytelling processes?

Before diving into virtual production, it’s essential to recognize the complexities and challenges associated with leveraging this method for visually narrating your brand’s story.
In this part of the blog, we will delve into these challenges to provide you with a comprehensive knowledge base.

First, there are technical challenges. Old skills will not take your team further, as working with game-making engines and LED walls requires new mastery. As a result, you must hire new experts or plan to enlighten your current staff with good educational programs.

You can also opt for another solution, outsourcing the whole process to agencies with needed professionals and resources to create such visual stories.

If you want your brand to be the creator and assign the job to an internal department, your business must pay some upfront costs. Take LED walls, for example. Well, supplying them demands money. In addition to hardware infrastructure, you should allocate funds to buy software licenses, which can be a considerable number.

Besides all the obstacles above, planning and managing a new form of production is always problematic and may cause unexpected troubles in creating your brand’s visual storytelling.
Despite these challenges, the results of successful virtual production efforts are rewarding and well worth the investment!

Once again, we recommend outsourcing the process to experienced agencies in this field. Which, can lighten your team members’ workload and ensure the result is fantastic and attention-grabbing.

Anyhow, we will outline a path to success in creating such video content for those who want to do the job themselves.

How to Tell a Captivating Brand Story with Virtual Production?

The roadmap remains quite similar to narrating a traditional visual story of a brand.
Defining and determining goals comes first. It’s crucial for you to clarify what messages you are trying to convey through the brand’s story. More importantly, who will be the target audience of the story and its messages?

Find the answer to these questions and proceed to create a virtual production-based story.
Remember that virtual production empowers you to unleash creativity without the constraints of traditional production methods. So, think outside the box and aim to visualize scenes that were impossible to create with conventional approaches.

To maximize the outcome’s benefits, prepare specific virtual environments to evoke certain emotions within the target audience. As said earlier in the blog, fostering an emotional connection between audience and business is a primary advantage of virtual production techniques, and overlooking it may not be so wise!

Clarify what feelings you want people to have after consuming your brand’s story. Bear that in mind when planning to make a virtual production and record scenes accordingly.
Regardless of your chosen method, the story must be charming at the heart. If it is not, you will fail, even if the visuals are stunning and fabulous.
Let us remind you that creating videos with this technology demands unique skills. Hence, predictably, the next thing you should consider is delegating the job to people who have the required talent to provide an exceptional visual brand story made using virtual production.

Last but not least, if you plan to publish the video on various platforms, you should optimize the outcome for each medium separately. This guarantees harvesting maximum advantages due to leveraging virtual production.
That is all! Let’s conclude the blog.

Predicting the Future of Storytelling With Virtual Production

The transformation caused by virtual production in storytelling is enormous! But interestingly, it is only the beginning, and we will witness more significant impacts in the near future.
As technological advancements continue, the animation industry is blurring the lines between virtual and real worlds.

With the rise of XR technologies like AR and VR, it is anticipated that virtual production and interactive animation will soon dominate the entertainment world and every aspect of our daily routine.

Additionally, AI will have a crucial role in this space. We will see more personalized experiences with visual brand stories, as smart devices collect too much data to create such experiences.
We will hear more about virtual production from now on, and that is why we recommend that you invest in this technology to create high-quality video versions of your brand’s story.
In the end, let us offer our services for creating videos using the advanced technology we have discussed throughout the blog.

If you want to enjoy the advantages of virtual production but lack the expertise and resources, contact us and delegate the job to Dream Farm Studios professionals.