Stunning virtual reality sets are helping Hollywood re-invent movie making
Making movies in virtual reality, and using gaming engines to create characters and sets, is revolutionising how blockbusters are made.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Stunning virtual reality sets are helping Hollywood re-invent movie making', 311 Institute, 16 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/stunning-virtual-reality-sets-are-helping-hollywood-re-invent-movie-making/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
As I’ve discussed many times before, in my blogs and keynotes, the way we make content is being revolutionised by new technology. Not only do creators today have access to new creative machines and tools that can generate virtual reality worlds from nothing more than common-a-garden video, and produce their own synthetic content that includes everything from art and blogs, to games, music, and even virtual influencers, but even the big movie studios, like MPC Film, the company behind blockbusters like Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Lion King, are using new virtual production techniques and Epic’s Unreal game engine to help them revolutionise movie making.
Now, in a rare glimpse into the world of professional movie making, MPC have taken people behind the scenes and shown off what’s widely regarded as one of the world’s most advanced on set virtual reality systems and you can see it for yourself below:
Watch how you make movies in VR
The platform, named Genesis, has some lofty ultimate goals, but at present it’s used to empower traditional production team members with hands-on participation in the pre-visualisation animation process using virtual reality as the medium. And as you can see it’s darn impressive – in fact it’s so impressive that it’s quickly becoming the way that all new movies are being made by directors like Jon Favreau who’s become one of the platforms greatest advocates.
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Making movies in virtual reality, and using gaming engines to create characters and sets, is revolutionising how blockbusters are made.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 16 January 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Stunning virtual reality sets are helping Hollywood re-invent movie making. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/stunning-virtual-reality-sets-are-helping-hollywood-re-invent-movie-making/
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