Taking virtual production to unreal heights
Disney pioneered virtual production in a live-action series with The Mandalorian, and now more brands are recognizing its benefits for ad creation, unlocking creative possibilities that are flexible, scalable and sustainable. As the lines start to blur between immersive technologies, we explore the future of storytelling in 3D virtual worlds.
Immersive storytelling. For marketers, that phrase might instantly conjure up visions of virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse – but for Shutterstock Studios, it revolves around a body of high-definition screens, virtual production, 3D modeling and mobile game-building. These elements are ushering in a new era of creative content, where anything is possible and imagination can run wild.
In a live demo of its immersive storytelling capabilities, in partnership with Pier59 Studios in New York, Shutterstock’s Immersive Showcase opened attendees’ eyes to the ways in which extended reality (XR) technology can bring virtual environments to life, and how neural radiance fields (NeRF) and 3D Gaussian splats (or GSplats – a system of creating complex 3D scenes with only a series of photographs or videos) are pushing the boundaries of production, creating complex 3D scenes from just photographs or videos.
Limitless creative possibilities
Picture the scenario. Your latest creative concept calls for a shoot in the jungle. A skyscraper. A flying car. But here’s the rub: the production budget is tight; there are logistical hurdles to navigate; then there’s the environmental impact of teams traveling to and from the location.
Enter virtual production – the ability to recreate real-looking environments, anything from a forest to a city to a classroom – a sustainable alternative to filming at actual, physical locations, while opening new possibilities for brand storytelling, experiences and visual effects.
“With this technology there are very few creative limitations. In fact ‘the only limitation is your imagination’ is a phrase we use often.”
Aiden Darné, vice-president and global head of production, Shutterstock Studios
Speaking exclusively with The Drum, Aiden Darné, vice-president and global head of production at Shutterstock Studios: “At Shutterstock Studios, we partner with companies on traditional production work, but we’ve continued to hear from customers that there’s a huge gap in the market as they look for agencies specializing in virtual production at scale. It was a no-brainer to lean into this demand because we're uniquely positioned to do it.”
“With this technology there are very few creative limitations. In fact ‘the only limitation is your imagination’ is a phrase we use often. We’ve been supporting large global marketers in achieving their important and aggressive carbon reduction goals, while also managing the tough task of producing more content than they did last year.”
This follows Shutterstock’s acquisition of 3D marketplace TurboSquid in 2021, bringing 25 years’ of 3D experience to Shutterstock’s unique, unrivaled immersive content capabilities and making the distribution of 3D assets accessible to Shutterstock’s community of creators and marketers across video, gaming, e-commerce, and more. This move has also enhanced their ability to create engaging games that truly resonate with players.
These advancements “have really opened the door for the wider adoption of virtual production beyond what we see in visual effects,” Drew Weigel, senior director, 3D and Immersive at Shutterstock Studios, said onstage during the demo. “We’re trying to open that up to a wider audience and make it accessible to more people – because that content and the ability to create it is more flexible and scalable than ever.”
“We’re trying to open that up to a wider audience and make it accessible to more people – because that content and the ability to create it is more flexible and scalable than ever.”
Drew Weigel, senior director, 3D and immersive, Shutterstock Studios
Scalability as a superpower
A big attraction for brands with virtual production is that it can “remove a lot of the post time for VFX and compositing process because we’re shooting and seeing everything on set in real-time,” Weigel says. “The shift from traditional production to adopting XR and Unreal Engine in building 3D environments is the most eco-friendly alternative, while not sacrificing any of the creative. The scale our global studio offers and the acquisition of TurboSquid as our in-house 3D team has proven to be a really fresh take in tackling the ubiquitous challenge that every major marketer has today - the demand for a huge amount of content for different global audiences.”
Maybe you have a beautiful shot of a landscape, but something about the environment just doesn’t feel right, or maybe there’s been a change in the overall campaign direction. Another key benefit for brands is the flexibility and scalability when it comes to creating (and editing) content.
“The shift from traditional production to adopting XR and Unreal Engine in building 3D environments is the most eco-friendly alternative, while not sacrificing any of the creative.”
Drew Weigel, senior director, 3D and immersive, Shutterstock Studios
“When you’re looking to maximize your content output while making the most of limited resources, virtual production may be the best way to extend the shelf life of your assets.”
Michelle Gauthier, senior director, production, Americas, Shutterstock Studios
“When you’re looking to maximize your content output while making the most of limited resources, virtual production may be the best way to extend the shelf life of your assets,” Michele Gauthier, senior director of production, Americas at Shutterstock Studios, explained during the event. “You have the flexibility to make the assets work for you by customizing the environment to reflect brand requirements, which can effectively reduce risks that come with on-location shoots. A hybrid approach allows brands to keep the authenticity of a practical shoot, while establishing ultimate control over the output.”
Gaming at the core
While many brands are venturing into gaming, often as add-ons, Shutterstock Studio takes a fundamentally different approach, focusing on creating quality games that resonate with players. Its portfolio includes games developed for some of the world's biggest brands, earning critical acclaim for their quality. Unlike typical ad-like games, these creations channel the enthusiasm of a show or product’s community directly into the app, offering an immersive experience that fans love.
“The future of content lies in the seamless integration of games, film, and interactive experiences,” says Justin Webber, director of game development at Shutterstock Studios. “We provide the technology and expertise to help our partners navigate this convergence, creating groundbreaking and unforgettable experiences.”
“The future of content lies in the seamless integration of games, film, and interactive experiences.”
Justin Webber, director of game development, Shutterstock Studios
“Leveraging a global network of experts, Shutterstock can develop high-quality games quickly and cost-effectively. From concept to production to strategic marketing, the studio guides clients through every phase of game development, ensuring unique storytelling, effective differentiation, and broad audience reach,” adds Michael Casalino, director of art at Shutterstock Studios. “With more than 2,500 game developers and a contributor network of more than three million, it brings together top talent for unparalleled content creation.”
The promise of virtual 3D
“It’s insane how fast it’s moving, especially now that companies are throwing so much processing power behind these workflows.”
Drew Weigel, senior director, 3D and immersive, Shutterstock Studios
Looking ahead to the future, Shutterstock has big plans with AI-supported workflows for delivering virtual production at scale, faster and more efficiently, through deep collaborations with industry leaders like Nvidia and OpenAI for cutting-edge generative 2D and 3D solutions.
“It’s insane how fast it’s moving, especially now that companies are throwing so much processing power behind these workflows,” Weigel said onstage.
This will enable marketing teams to create 3D virtual environments from drone footage of physical locations, fed into an AI model and then subsequently rendered by Unreal Engine, a gaming engine owned by Epic Games which renders realistic-looking 3D graphics in real-time.
“We have drone photographers and videographers that go into places [like New York City’s Grand Central Station], shoot the full 3D scan of that location, and then that can become a virtual production environment or location that’s ready through Unreal Engine in seconds,” says Darné.
Darné continues: “Imagine putting yourself in the position of a creative or a producer, where the creative demands a certain location. You’re either going to have to spend a lot of money to get on location or a lot of time building that environment. But if we have a stock video or video clip, we can then turn that into an Unreal environment in seconds. It’s all very esoteric and weird, 3D commercial production applications, but it’s a complete game changer for advertising.”
Its unparalleled network of content creators and production partners in 150+ locations around the world allows Shutterstock to optimize budget while saving on travel and logistics. But what’s important to note with this technology is that it is by no means intended to make human creators obsolete, but rather equip them with more powerful tools.
“Importantly, these tools don’t replace the artists who are doing the work - they fill the content gap created because we’re always under time and budget constraints,” says Weigel. “It’s a methodology to capture content at speed and at scale. It’s just another piece of the puzzle in this ever-evolving Rubik's Cube of virtual production.”
“Importantly, these tools don’t replace the artists who are doing the work - they fill the content gap created because we’re always under time and budget constraints.”
Drew Weigel, senior director, 3D and immersive, Shutterstock Studios