Shailendra Mathur, vice president, architecture and technology, at Avid takes a look at how virtual production workflows, techniques and technologies are now impacting more of the filmmaking process, from pre- through to post production
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 22, 2023 Updated: February 23, 2023
Shailendra Mathur, vice president, architecture and technology, at Avid takes a look at how virtual production workflows, techniques and technologies are now impacting more of the filmmaking process, from pre- through to post production
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Virtual production is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating technology developments shaping the future of post production. It brings a huge number of efficiencies to VFX workflows, and not just via The Mandalorian-esque LED screens driven by game engines. Today, VFX supervisors and filmmaking creatives can turn to a host of complex toolsets to visualise landscapes and characters or any other on-screen element - both before and during principal photography.
But it's not just for post; virtual production offers clear benefits right across the production workflow. Set designers can easily see what locations might look like with a whole host of different colour tile or brick without having to build or draw options. Stunt coordinators can use previz'ed scenes to help block the action. And on top of all of that, producers can see how these efficiencies impact their bottom line.
But what about editors? How do we see virtual production impacting the people responsible for turning every crew member's contribution into a finished film?
Enhancing on-set editing One of the key benefits virtual production offers editors whether it's for film, TV or advertising production is the ability to be more involved on-set or on-location.
On-set editing is something many editors have long taken advantage of, since seeing action being shot and starting rough cuts as soon as rushes are captured enables them to ensure there's the right level of coverage.
VFX supervisors and creative directors say the true benefit of this is that it allows artists and filmmakers to make creative decisions earlier. This immediacy can have a similar impact on editors, taking on-set editing much further. With the right virtual production workflows in place, editors can start rough cuts straight away on huge VFX-driven shows. They're able to immediately see what the final images will look like, even if they feature fully-CG characters or entirely fabricated worlds; assets that they historically might not see for another few months.
Supercharging asset management Virtual production will also have a huge impact on asset management - which opens up the window for creativity wider than ever.
Asset management will no longer revolve around managing rendered or rasterised audio and video during the final editing stages, as editors won't need to wait to receive final rendered VFX shots. Instead, virtual production can enable a much more collaborative process between editors and VFX studios or artists.
With virtual production, editors can now manage in-progress visual assets, 3D models or VFX textures in context of the video they are associated with. Having access to all these elements, and the ability to render them throughout the entire post production process allows editors or filmmakers to make creative decisions later. This might involve changing a location via a virtual background or DMP, altering lighting, the time of day of a scene or even a camera angle.
This opens up the creative impact an editor can have in the editorial process. This is a gamechanger for editors, enabling them to have a serious creative impact on a project, without having to request reshoots or additional photography.
Playing with the timeline This opening up of flexibility to be more creative also comes with benefits to the time needed to create the biggest blockbusting films.
If virtual production allows VFX supervisors and creative directors to start making decisions much earlier on in previz and on-set, it also does for editors and post production supervisors. Add to that the ability to make changes to visuals later into the process, closer to a final render and we're seeing a real shift in the timeline being used in the creative process.
And to top this all off, these changes can be achieved without the time, personnel and power resources needed to constantly render shots to see how they look in a cut, and then send them back for amends, only to be rendered again. It's not just creative efficiencies we see from the deployment of virtual production, but practical and economic ones as well.
The bottom line
When it comes to virtual production then, what was the talk of just VFX studios and filmmakers like James Cameron only a few years ago, is now a much larger and more complex beast.
Virtual production workflows, techniques and technologies are now impacting more of the filmmaking process - from the earliest stages of pre-production to the latest stages of post production. And we're excited to see the flexibility and creative freedom it will continue to offer editors.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Shailendra Mathur, vice president, architecture and technology, at Avid takes a look at how virtual production workflows, techniques and technologies are now impacting more of the filmmaking process, from pre- through to post production
