Different tools. One principle: use what fits the shot.
Every project is different. We don't default to one approach — we start with what you need and work backwards to the right tool.
Technique
Unreal Engine
Real-time 3D environments built in Unreal Engine, displayed on LED walls. Full control over lighting, weather, time of day, and camera angle — all changeable on set, in real time.
Best for: environments that don't exist, need to be fully controllable, or would be impractical to reach on location.
On Don't Look, we built an ancient Roman temple on an LED stage in Wakefield. For the BAFTA Games Awards, we created several Unreal environments with live in-camera transitions between them.
Same location. Three looks. All changed in minutes.
Technique
Plates
Filmed footage of real locations — driven, flown, or locked off — played back on LED or used in post. The simplest route to a believable world. Plates can also be augmented with CG, compositing, or AI tools — adding, removing, or transforming elements while keeping the realism of real footage.
Best for: when real locations give you the best result but logistics, weather, or schedule make filming there impractical.
Ben has shot plates for No Time to Die and Meg 2. On Vigil (BBC), plates were central to the VP approach — capturing real locations and bringing them into the stage.
Our plates rig on location.
Technique
Scans
3D captures of real locations that can be relit, repositioned, and viewed from any angle. All the realism of a plate with the flexibility of a 3D environment.
Best for: when you need the look of a real place but also need to move the camera or change the lighting.
We use 3D Gaussian splatting — a technique that's still very new but already changing what's possible at every budget level. A real location captured in minutes, navigable in 3D, and usable on set. It's one of the most exciting developments in VP right now.
Not sure which approach fits?
Neither are most people when they first call us. See how we apply these techniques for TV, film, and commercials or in-house teams.
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