A Producer's Guide to Real Time VFX

Real-time VFX is revolutionising content creation by rendering complex visual effects instantly, allowing filmmakers and producers to see the final shot live on set. Unlike traditional VFX, which requires extensive rendering in post-production, this modern approach leverages powerful game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity to generate photorealistic graphics on the fly. This shift is not just a technical upgrade; it's a fundamental change in the creative workflow.

The Shift from Post-Production to Live Creation

Imagine directing a scene where the fire-breathing dragon or alien spaceship is visible in real-time through the camera's viewfinder. That’s the power of real-time VFX. It replaces the old filmmaking adage of "we'll fix it in post" with a more immediate and empowering "let's create it on set." This provides the entire crew with instant visual feedback, unlocking a level of creative control that was previously impossible during principal photography. To put it in perspective: traditional VFX is like shooting on classic celluloid. You capture the raw footage, send it away to be developed (rendered), and only see the final, composited image days or weeks later. In contrast, real-time VFX operates like the live view on a modern digital camera, what you see is precisely what you get, instantly. This dynamic blurs the lines between pre-production, production, and post-production, merging them into a single, fluid, and interactive process. This innovative approach is rapidly gaining traction. The UK's visual effects industry, a global leader in cinematic innovation, was valued at approximately USD 2.78 billion and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 12.9% through 2034. A significant portion of this growth is driven by productions adopting real-time technologies, often bolstered by incentives like the UK Film Tax Relief. You can explore this market expansion in more detail in this detailed report from Expert Market Research.

Visualising the Final Shot Instantly

The ability to see final-pixel quality visuals during filming is a creative game-changer. It empowers directors, cinematographers, and actors to make more informed and impactful decisions on the spot, ensuring the final product aligns perfectly with the creative vision. This screenshot from the Unreal Engine website perfectly illustrates a virtual production set. The actors are fully immersed in a digital environment displayed on vast LED screens that surround them. In this setup, the final lighting, reflections, and all digital assets are captured directly in-camera. This drastically reduces the guesswork and heavy compositing work that would typically consume months in post-production.

The Game Engines Driving a Cinematic Revolution

The technology making this real-time magic possible comes directly from the video game industry. Powerful game engines, originally designed for interactive entertainment, have become the core of a new era in filmmaking. These platforms are engineered to render incredibly complex scenes, characters, and effects in milliseconds, a capability that is proving transformative on modern film sets. Leading the charge are two industry giants: Unreal Engine from Epic Games and Unity. While both serve the same fundamental purpose, they have been adapted for cinematic production, offering filmmakers a creative toolkit previously exclusive to game developers. Their ability to process immense detail on the fly has made them the new backbone of virtual production.

Building Worlds with Photorealism

How do these engines achieve such convincing visual realism? A key factor is a concept known as physically-based rendering (PBR). PBR can be thought of as a set of scientific rules that govern how light behaves in the digital world, mimicking its real-world physics. Instead of an artist manually estimating how a material like brushed steel or rough leather should appear under different lighting conditions, PBR uses real-world properties, such as roughness and metallicness, to define it. This means that when a cinematographer adjusts a light on a virtual set, every digital object reacts just as it would in reality. A polished floor will cast sharp, accurate reflections, while a woollen jumper will diffuse the light softly. This level of physical accuracy is crucial for seamlessly blending live-action actors with their digital surroundings. This infographic illustrates how the technical components work together, from the engine's rendering core to the final in-camera shot. As shown, the process flows from PBR materials to dynamic lighting and finally to the camera, with each stage contributing to a cohesive, live image.

Dynamic Lighting and In-Camera Freedom

Another game-changing feature is dynamic lighting. In traditional VFX pipelines, lighting is a meticulous, render-intensive process that occurs long after filming has concluded. With a game engine, directors and cinematographers can move lights, alter their colour, and adjust their intensity on set, seeing the final result instantly. This freedom allows for greater creative experimentation during production. It ensures the digital environment perfectly matches the mood and tone of the live-action performance, rather than requiring extensive fixes months later in post.

This shift towards real-time tools is more than a trend; it's a strategic response to production pressures. By finalising visuals on set, studios can reduce costly post-production cycles and make more confident creative decisions during principal photography. Our own experience with game development in Unreal Engine has shown us firsthand how powerful these real-time workflows can be.

This rapid adoption is reshaping the industry, particularly in the UK. Facing talent shortages and rising costs, a challenge for 48% of global studios, many UK production houses are turning to real-time workflows to maintain a competitive edge. This has led to a remarkable 40% year-over-year increase in the adoption of these tools, solidifying London's position as a global hub for this cinematic evolution. You can find more data on this in this visual effects market report.

Unreal vs Unity for Real-Time Animation: What Producers Need to Know in 2025

Choosing between Unreal and Unity often depends on the project's specific requirements. While both are highly capable, their different strengths make them better suited for certain tasks. Here's a quick comparison of how they stack up for producers considering a real-time animation pipeline.

Ultimately, Unreal Engine has become the de facto standard for high-end virtual production, primarily due to its focus on pushing the boundaries of photorealistic rendering. Unity remains a flexible and powerful alternative, especially for projects where cross-platform deployment, a more stylised look, or AR/VR integration is a priority.

How Real-Time Changes the Production Pipeline

Integrating real-time VFX into your workflow is more than a technological update; it fundamentally disrupts the traditional, linear production model. The rigid sequence of pre-production, production, and post-production is replaced by a more fluid, iterative, and collaborative process where key creative decisions are made with final-pixel certainty from the outset. Instead of siloed departments handing off work sequentially, teams now collaborate earlier and more frequently. This single change redefines how films, TV shows, and commercials are made, pulling critical visual effects work from the end of the pipeline to the very beginning.

Pre-Production Reimagined

Traditionally, pre-production relies on storyboards and basic pre-visualisation (previz) to outline the project. While essential, these tools leave much to the imagination. Real-time technology elevates this by enabling final-pixel previz. Directors can now walk through virtual sets, block scenes, and frame shots using the actual, high-fidelity digital assets that will appear in the final cut. This supercharges the process, allowing for:

• •Informed Camera Planning: Cinematographers can experiment with lenses, camera movements, and lighting setups in a photorealistic virtual space long before stepping onto a physical set.
• •Creative Experimentation: Directors can test ambitious angles and blocking ideas, confident that what they see in previz is precisely what they will capture on the day.
• •Early Art Department Collaboration: The Virtual Art Department (VAD) works in close partnership with the traditional art department, ensuring perfect alignment between digital and physical set pieces.

This early integration of departments is the cornerstone of a successful real-time pipeline. It transforms pre-production from a series of educated guesses into a detailed, precise rehearsal, saving significant time and preventing costly surprises during the main shoot.

Production on the Virtual Stage

During the production phase, the impact becomes even more profound. On a virtual production set, massive LED walls display the digital environment, completely immersing the actors and crew in the story's world. This is not merely a high-tech backdrop; it is a living, interactive part of the set. The camera's every movement is tracked in real-time, causing the perspective on the LED walls to shift in perfect synchronisation. This creates a flawless parallax effect, making the digital background feel tangible and real. For the first time, actors can react authentically to a world they can see, rather than imagining it against a sterile green screen.

Transforming Post-Production

Perhaps the most significant revolution occurs in post-production. By capturing a substantial portion of the visual effects in-camera, the heavy burden of compositing and greenscreen keying is dramatically reduced, if not entirely eliminated. The data captured on set, from camera movements to performances within the virtual space, provides the post-production team with a rich, solid foundation for any final adjustments. This does not render post-production obsolete; it reframes its role. The focus shifts from fixing problems and building worlds from scratch to refinement, polishing, and adding the final layer of cinematic magic. As real-time technologies reshape these pipelines, managing the underlying cloud infrastructure becomes critical. Specialised cloud computing management services can help optimise this entire setup, ensuring an integrated approach that delivers a higher-quality product more efficiently.

Where Real-Time VFX Is Making an Impact

So, where is this real-time technology actually being implemented? Its applications extend far beyond Hollywood blockbusters. Across a diverse range of industries, this technology is being used to solve complex production challenges, overcome logistical hurdles, and bring ambitious creative visions to life, all without exceeding budgets or schedules. It is fundamentally changing how content is produced, from episodic television to automotive commercials.

This shift is not just about creating stunning visuals; it is about smart, practical problem-solving. By rendering complex scenes instantly, production teams can bypass many of the slow and expensive steps that have traditionally hindered workflows.

Television and Episodic Storytelling

For high-concept television series, particularly in science fiction and fantasy, real-time VFX is a game-changer. Building extensive alien worlds or entire medieval kingdoms with physical sets for a multi-season show would be prohibitively expensive and logistically unfeasible. With virtual production, crews can create and reuse vast digital environments. A single LED volume can serve as a futuristic, neon-lit cityscape in one episode and a dense, mystical forest in the next, all without constructing new sets. This agility is essential for meeting the demanding deadlines of episodic TV, allowing showrunners to deliver cinematic quality on a broadcast schedule. Writers are now free to envision epic settings, confident they can be realised.

Advertising and Product Visualisation

The advertising industry has fully embraced real-time workflows, especially for high-end products like automobiles. Traditionally, shooting a car commercial involved shipping a priceless prototype to an exotic location, hoping for perfect weather, and navigating a mountain of expensive permits. Now, with real-time VFX, a photorealistic digital model of the car can be placed in any imaginable virtual environment. This gives directors complete control over lighting, reflections, and camera angles, enabling them to achieve the perfect shot every time.

A car can be shown cruising through a sun-drenched desert at dawn and then racing through a rain-slicked city at night, all within the same day's shoot, without the physical vehicle ever leaving the studio. This not only saves a tremendous amount of money but also unlocks creative possibilities that were previously impractical.

Live Events and Broadcast

Real-time technology is also transforming live events and broadcasting. Augmented reality (AR) graphics are increasingly used to create immersive experiences for audiences watching sports, concerts, and news from home. During a live broadcast, complex 3D graphics and data visualisations can be seamlessly integrated into the feed, appearing as if they are physically present in the studio or on the field. This allows broadcasters to:

• •Display dynamic player stats that appear to float above a football pitch.
• •Create interactive weather maps that a presenter can walk through.
• •Generate spectacular virtual stage extensions for live music performances.

Using real-time VFX in this way deepens audience engagement by providing richer context and more visually compelling storytelling, all generated on the fly.

Building Your Real-Time Production Team

A successful real-time VFX project requires a new type of creative team, one that blends the storytelling discipline of traditional film crews with the technical expertise of video game developers. This is not about simply adding new roles to an old structure; it's about creating a collaborative bridge between two worlds that have historically operated separately. At the heart of this new structure is the Virtual Production Supervisor. This individual acts as the chief translator, fluent in both the director's creative language and the game engine's technical vernacular. They are the essential link ensuring the virtual elements always serve the story. They are supported by a team of engine specialists who bring the virtual world to life.

Core Technical and Creative Roles

The daily magic on a virtual set is performed by artists and technicians who are experts in game engines. These roles are critical for building, lighting, and running the digital world live on set.

• •Unreal or Unity Artists: These are the digital world-builders. They take assets created by the art department and assemble them into interactive, often photorealistic environments within the engine, continuously optimising for smooth performance.
• •Engine Technicians/Operators: During filming, these are the individuals at the controls. They run the engine, trigger in-scene events, and make live adjustments to the virtual environment at the director's request.
• •VFX Artists: While the goal is to capture as much as possible in-camera, VFX artists remain a crucial part of the team. They work with the on-set crew to prepare assets and ensure a seamless pipeline for any elements that require post-production refinement.

This workflow demands a level of collaboration previously unseen in traditional pipelines. The art department must be in constant communication with the Unreal Artists. The cinematographer needs to work directly with lighting artists who are painting with light inside the engine.

The real magic happens when these distinct disciplines merge. A cinematographer can suggest a lighting change, and a Unity Artist can implement it in seconds, allowing for a fluid, creative dialogue that was previously impossible.

When assembling a team, portfolios are paramount. For professionals seeking these roles, a strong online presence is essential; this guide to building a job-winning online portfolio offers valuable advice. For producers, the goal is to find a studio with a proven track record in both domains. You need a team that understands the technicalities of game engines and possesses a deep respect for cinematic storytelling. They must demonstrate the ability to create compelling narratives, not just impressive tech demos. The UK is a hub for this talent, with many of the top VFX companies in London now offering specialised real-time production services.

The Future of Real Time AI and Accessibility

The world of real-time VFX is poised for another major transformation, this time driven by artificial intelligence and increased accessibility. AI is beginning to automate some of the most complex and time-consuming tasks in the production pipeline, unlocking new creative possibilities for artists and teams. Imagine procedural generation tools, enhanced by machine learning, that can create vast, photorealistic landscapes from simple user inputs. Or consider AI-powered animation systems capable of generating believable digital human performances from text or audio prompts. These advancements promise to accelerate workflows, allowing creators to focus on storytelling rather than repetitive technical tasks. To learn more, explore the intersection of AI and game development in our detailed article.

Democratising High-End Visuals

Perhaps the most exciting trend is the democratisation of these powerful tools. As game engines become more user-friendly and AI tools are seamlessly integrated, the barrier to entry for creating high-quality real-time VFX is disappearing.

This shift is empowering smaller studios and independent creators to achieve a visual quality that was once exclusive to blockbuster productions with massive budgets. Real-time technology is evolving from a specialised toolset into a widespread creative platform, unlocking new forms of storytelling for a broader range of voices.

Common Questions About Real-Time VFX

As real-time technology continues to reshape the production landscape, producers, directors, and marketing teams naturally have questions about its implementation. Understanding the realities of costs, team composition, and final quality is key to determining if a real-time workflow is suitable for your next project. Here are some of the most common questions we encounter.

Is Real-Time VFX Cheaper Than Traditional VFX?

Not necessarily cheaper, but it fundamentally changes where you allocate your budget. Real-time VFX requires a significant upfront investment during pre-production for the "virtual art department," which builds all the digital assets and environments needed for the shoot. This is a front-loaded cost. However, this initial expenditure can lead to substantial savings down the line. By capturing final-pixel effects directly in-camera, you virtually eliminate the need for lengthy post-production compositing and costly reshoots. The return on investment comes from increased efficiency, predictability, and complete creative freedom on set.

Do I Need to Hire a Team from the Gaming Industry?

The ideal team is a hybrid one. Since the technology is built on game engines, you absolutely need artists and engineers who are experts in Unreal Engine or Unity. They understand the technical optimisation required to run complex scenes smoothly in real time. However, they cannot do it alone. These specialists must be paired with a crew that brings traditional filmmaking experience, especially in cinematography, lighting, and production design. The most successful real-time VFX projects are born from the collaboration of these two worlds, ensuring that the technology always serves the story.

Can Real-Time VFX Truly Match Offline Render Quality?

The gap is closing at an astonishing rate. For a wide range of broadcast, commercial, and television projects, the in-camera results are now virtually indistinguishable from traditional offline renders. With powerful tools like Unreal Engine 5, photorealism is not just an aspiration; it's a reality. For high-end feature films, a hybrid approach is often employed. The majority of a shot is captured live on set, with offline rendering used to add a final layer of polish or perfect specific "hero" assets that require an extraordinary level of detail. --- Ready to see how a real-time pipeline could work for your next project? The team at Studio Liddell has the hybrid expertise to bring your vision to life, from the first sketch to the final cut. Book a production scoping call