Crashing Cars on LED Stages | Virtual Production, Unreal Engine & Robots

A violent car crash after a bickering couple drive their car off a cliff. Filmed in half a day using Virtual Production on an LED stage synchronized with robot technology.
Behind-the-scenes detailing our process begins at 01:30

In this demo, we shot a dramatic car crash to show what filming car action scenes on an LED stage can be like, with tech-vis, extreme camera moves (one continuous shot) and motion control automation. We developed a platform called MoboCon, where all the mechanics on set can be managed from a single interface, with data inheritance from previz and techviz, and timestamps on all movement data, to allow for precision and efficiency on set. Our system links motion control with the camera and with @UnrealEngine .

It was both fast and fun on set and we can't wait to try this out with more types of vehicles meeting disaster :)

In the second half of this video, we show our entire Virtual Production process, illustrating how the scene was first captured in previz, and then reverse-engineered in techviz to create a precise and automated principal photography process during LED filming.

Key Points:
0:00 - 01:30 The Car Crash
01:35 - 01:49 3D scanning
01:50 - 02:08 Mocap and Previz
02:08 - 02:14 Techviz
02:14 - 02:25 LED Filming
02:25 - 02:51 Automation

[chendaddy]

That's as pure as virtual production gets, baby. DP sets all the shots and lighting in previz, then hands it over to the robots and sips tea on set. More or less. 😂

[tillyjones]

Mindblowing. So much easier than shooting this traditionally. Wouldn’t need to buy as much insurance, for sure.

[everyevely]

I can't wait to see Fast & the Furious movies made using this tech

[anniedejavu]

So cool seeing that LED spinning at the end !

[puncture]

Thanks for the explanation of the process!

[sajeelshukla]

really well done :) absolutley loved it.

[BestPlayedLoudLtd]

Brilliantly done scene! And great to see the behind the scenes too

[arianenegishi]

Awesome production! This is the future!

[JorgeRodiles]

the Motion control rig for the car is amazing

[romanbruni]

umoshiroi ! brilliant ! incredible precision... this is a new form - we need to develop new screenplay skills ! cheers from Rio

[jessicazweig]

I guess the girl’s hair had to be tied up for the final shot. How did you guys do the flying debris in the car?

[joshtreadaway]

really amazing work!
the iPad cage is a really nice size. Do you happen to know what brand it is?

[peterkim]

I was really impressed by your video! Could you please share information about the LED panels used in it? I run a production company in Korea and am considering setting up a small-scale LED studio. I have many concerns about which LED products to use, especially for handling real-time operations with Unreal Engine 5 and minimizing delay. It's challenging to research each Chinese manufacturer individually since they are physically distant and numerous.

Although we are from different countries, I would greatly appreciate your help as a fellow professional in the industry.

Thank you in advance!

[AniMoted]

Wow, unreal, I wonder how much it costs, I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than shooting an actual car crash though..

[scottbenza]

curious why there was no motion blur on the trees on the LED volume?!

[lukakoprivica]

Nice tech! Too many omissions of physics.

[MateoUnreal]

if its not too rude to ask How much was the cost of this short overall?

[tonyfranks]

This looks like brilliant VP work; what studio was it filmed in?

[bensusana]

What about the first shot?
Seems like a drone footage, is it or also in the same technology 😬

[chrissoba]

🤩🤩🥰🥰🥶🥶🥶 this is the raison i should to leave Africa to work on CGI and VRProd