Green Screen vs. LED Wall for Unreal Engine Productions

Hello everyone!

Today there's no doubt the Unreal Engine is the present and future of film and TV. The Unreal Engine empowers the creation of incredible virtual sets with XR for productions that are of the highest quality and value. If you're looking to enhance the look of your film or TV project while saving time and money, the Unreal Engine is what you need. 

Read this series of posts to learn about the L.A. Castle Studios approach to utilizing the Unreal Engine for production.

You'll find there are generally two options for filming using Unreal. 

The first option is to film with the Unreal Engine on an LED wall. 

The second option is to film with the Unreal Engine on a cyclorama.

At L.A. Castle Studios, we are firm believers in the cyclorama method over and against utilizing an LED wall. Our reasoning for this is as follows. 

1. Full Talent Immersion. Unreal Engine XR productions filmed on LED walls require extensive foreground practical piece set design to be effective. At most studios, this means building a full practical set and then also utilizing an expensive and complicated LED wall. Therefore, many of the advantages of working with Unreal are negated by the expense and complication of the practical set design and creation. At L.A. Castle Studios, we’ve eliminated the need for immersive practical set creation. Instead, talent appear fully immersed in the virtual environment, often with no practical set pieces. This includes even the floor. For talent to appear on a floor with an LED setup, there must be either a practical floor constructed or a complicated LED floor. At L.A. Castle Studios, talent appear on a virtual floor that matches the overall environment, with full shadows on the ground - and without constructing that floor practically. The L.A. Castle Studios approach works for outdoor scenes as well. Talent can appear to be walking in snow, grass, or on a long city street.

Check back Monday for the next post in this series!