Speed, scale & style
The new age of virtual production
It’s 9.30 on a sweltering July morning. But at the ARR soundstage in west London, a shawl-draped model is strolling through a misty Highland dusk.
Speed, scale & style
The new age of virtual production
It’s 9.30 on a sweltering July morning. But at the ARR soundstage in west London, a shawl-draped model is strolling through a misty Highland dusk.
We’re at a Shutterstock Studios showcase for Virtual Production (VP), the visual content creation technology that goes beyond green-screen to unlock new creative possibilities.
Creating the misty Scottish Highlands within the ARRI stage in London
James Gunn’s Superman reboot is just the latest blockbuster to harness the power of VP. Marketers and agencies too have embraced it to streamline production, increase efficiency and inspire creativity.
Aiden Darné has been senior vice-president, global head of Shutterstock Studios for four and a half years.
“What we do is try to help brands with the biggest headaches they’re facing today,” he says. “We try to help them rethink and reshape their approach to global production to be more economical and more creative.”
Twilight in a virtual Scotland
On the soundstage, dry ice drifts among the tussocks of dry grass on-set. But instead of a green screen, a giant semi-circular LED wall is showing the hills and valleys of the Scottish Highlands under a reddening sky.
On the soundstage, dry ice drifts among the tussocks of dry grass on-set. But instead of a green screen, a giant semi-circular LED wall is showing the hills and valleys of the Scottish Highlands under a reddening sky.
“VP uses all the standard elements of a shoot; lens, filters, lighting, set, effects, backdrop,” explains Carlotta Merzari, virtual production executive producer at Shutterstock Studios. “It’s just that now we have total control of the backdrop in real-time.”
As she speaks, the on-set environment changes to slightly earlier in the evening at the director’s request.
“If we need to, we can make the Golden Hour last for 10 hours,” Merzari says. “And it only rains if you want it to.”
Blending physical sets with virtual backgrounds enabled the creation of flawless shots
This photo-realistic backdrop, generated by software originally built for computer games, is one part of the VP magic. In the case of this shoot, the team modeled a 25km2 environment, every aspect of which can be changed in real-time. To demonstrate, they move a distant mountain from one side of the shot to the other and back again.
The other key element of the technology is that the physical camera being used for the shoot is synced to one in the virtual environment. This means that, as the physical camera moves, the background changes to match. Shadows and reflections change to fall as they would in the real world. The illusion is maintained.
“This all seems incredibly new, but the ideas date back to the 15th century. We’re using the same principles – perspective, parallax, layering, choreography and set design – to create a unified image that fools the eye into thinking it’s real.”
“This all seems incredibly new, but the ideas date back to the 15th century. We’re using the same principles – perspective, parallax, etc – to create a unified image that fools the eye into thinking it’s real.”
Carlotta Merzari, virtual production executive producer, Shutterstock Studios.
Bringing the location to the talent
The first big benefit of VP is already apparent. It removes all the post-production work that’s required with a green-screen shoot. All that now happens in the camera. But it’s when we switch to the next location that the other advantages become clear. Moving all the gear from the high ground down and setting up a shaded valley would have taken at least two hours in the physical world. Here it takes less than 20 minutes.
The first big benefit of VP is already apparent. It removes all the post-production work that’s required with a green-screen shoot. All that now happens in the camera. But it’s when we switch to the next location that the other advantages become clear. Moving all the gear from the high ground down and setting up a shaded valley would have taken at least two hours in the physical world. Here it takes less than 20 minutes.
“VP allows you to shoot several campaigns back-to-back, which increases efficiency,” explains Noelia Lage Vazquez, executive producer at Shutterstock Studios. “It also means you can shoot for multiple markets as part of the same shoot. You can have a UK look-and-feel, then switch to a French one in a matter of minutes.”
An actual vehicle was used on set enabling the talent to engage with it naturally on camera
Things get even more interesting for brands that work with high-profile talent, but only have limited time with them. Rather than having to waste part of that valuable time flying the talent to the location, VP brings the location to the talent.
Darné talks about a recent shoot Shutterstock Studios did with Olivia Rodrigo for Lancôme.
“We had less than an hour with her in her hotel room, and we shot a campaign for a lipgloss that she’s released. It wasn’t true VP, it was an in-between screen, but the fact is we were able to use a 3D backdrop,” he says. “Everything around her is 3D, and it just shows the speed and agility of using 3D in this way. And it’s something that brands are very much paying attention to now.”
“Everything around her is 3D, and it just shows the speed and agility of using 3D in this way. And it’s something that brands are very much paying attention to now.”
Aiden Darné, senior vice-president, global head of Shutterstock Studios
AI is not a hammer. Not every problem is a nail
On set, meanwhile, the action has moved to a stills shoot in east London. This time the background is a simple photograph, sourced from Shutterstock Studios' own collection with the help of AI.
On set, meanwhile, the action has moved to a stills shoot in east London. This time the background is a simple photograph, sourced from Shutterstock Studios' own collection with the help of AI.
“We didn’t have as much time to prepare for this as we did for the Scotland section, so we decided to use AI,” Merzari says. “We selected our prompts until we arrived at a picture that matched what we wanted. At this point it’s less about the ‘reality’ of the background, and much more about how the technology can help the photographer get the look and the attitude that they want.”
The physical set and virtual background could be changed in a matter of minutes to give the effect of a completely new location
This example reflects Shutterstock Studios’ attitude to AI. Rather than treating AI as the solution to every problem, the Shutterstock Studios team try to use it only for the tasks where it’s the best solution. A lot of those are in pre-production, which is becoming more important as the balance of the workload moves away from post. .
“We approach AI from a workflow perspective,” explains Drew Weigel, VP head of innovation, Shutterstock Studios. “We think about where it ties in with the ways we’re already doing either virtual production or 3D and visual effects. So if AI means we don’t have to generate a background, or helps us render things like smoke or liquid, that’s all time savings.”
“We think about where it ties in with the ways we’re already doing either virtual production or 3D and visual effects. So if AI means we don’t have to generate a background, or helps us render things like smoke or liquid, that’s all time savings.”
Drew Weigel, VP head of innovation, Shutterstock Studios
Creativity counts more than ever
As the shoot winds up, Darné explains that the majority of the Shutterstock Studios' work is brand-direct.
As the shoot winds up, Darné explains that the majority of the Shutterstock Studios' work is brand-direct.
“The clients we work with really vary. They can be in-house production teams, creative teams, design teams, procurement teams, in-house marketing teams and so on. But their headaches are largely consistent. They need to do more with less. They have less time than before. They’re trying to break through to a global audience, but they’re trying to shoot less globally and be more sustainable.
Physical elements like mist and a wet floor integrate seamlessly with the visuals displayed on the LED screens
“And they need to cut through. With generative AI, there’s going to be more content than ever, but having 10,000 versions of the same useless asset doesn’t help. So the power of creativity will only become more important, and that’s really exciting. Our value proposition is to constantly seek out ways to solve our client’s biggest headaches, using production and creative. So we have to be able to use technologies like VP to do that, and that’s what you’ve seen today.”
“Our value proposition is to constantly seek out ways to solve our client’s biggest headaches, using production and creative. So we have to be able to use technologies like VP to do that, and that’s what you’ve seen today.”
Aiden Darné, senior vice-president, global head of Shutterstock Studios
Why VP matters to marketers
Green-screen meant you didn’t have to shoot everything on location, but it made you reliant on post-production. VP minimizes that dependence, and the associated cost.
Green-screen meant you didn’t have to shoot everything on location, but it made you reliant on post-production. VP minimizes that dependence, and the associated cost.
When viewing the variety of final assets, it’s impossible to tell they were all shot on the same stage over the course of just two days
All the other benefits flow from this. Less work in post means every set-up becomes quicker and cheaper. So you can shoot multiple locations – or even multiple campaigns – more efficiently. That means you can also make better use of your on-screen talent. And if that talent doesn’t have an acting background, they’re likely to find it easier working in front of a backdrop than a green screen.
Darné sums up Shutterstock Studios' place in the content ecosystem: “Our role is to support the insane challenge that marketers face, of having to do more with less. And not just more, but a lot, lot more with sometimes quite a bit less.”
“Our role is to support the insane challenge that marketers face, of having to do more with less. And not just more, but a lot, lot more with sometimes quite a bit less.”
Aiden Darné, senior vice-president, global head of Shutterstock Studios