A lot has changed since we last approached this subject three years ago. Virtual Production techniques have graduated from delivering creative backdrops to cinematic and episodic TV workflows to become a go-to option for live sports, news and magazine presentations. Meanwhile, new innovations like subframe technologies are encouraging even more creativity. This fully revised and updated guide marks these shifts with brand new articles that keep pace with this changing tech.

It not only covers the science and practical applications of virtual production in 2026, but serves as a reference resource for broadcast technologists looking to create more compelling, more efficient and more emotive television.

In other words, to tell better stories.

This eBook is a free PDF download which contains 16 original articles.

1: After The Gold Rush: VP Gets Sensible

After years of enthusiastic adoption, virtual production is finally delivering on its promise. Not through spectacle, but through pragmatism.

2: Principles, Terminology & Technology

A look at the technology and techniques of virtual production, from the camera through to video walls, processors, and rendering servers.

3: Camera Setup, Tracking & Lens Data

Camera and lens combinations are more flexible than ever, but each adaptation needs to be carefully considered.

4: Video Wall Configuration

We discuss the fundamentals of video wall technology as well as techniques to ensure proper color rendering and avoid flicker.

5: The Magic Of Subframe Technology

Subframe technology solves a fundamental challenge in virtual production, enabling video walls to display different images at the same time.

6: Project Planning For Virtual Production

Introducing virtual techniques and environments to a production also introduces greater potential for failure.

7: Designing The Virtual World

Virtual production tools are well-established for computer entertainment, but the design constraints for broadcast are very different.

8: Virtual Lighting Fundamentals

Why a director of photography might want to have some pre-production involvement in the development of a virtual world.

9: Shooting Locations For Virtual Production

Capturing real-world environments can be more straightforward than creating virtual ones, but there are specific considerations to work in.

10: Capturing Objects In 3D

Simple objects could be built; more complex ones might be better scanned as a 3D object. Why some studios have begun to consider this as a service to offer.

11: Motion Capture

How new technologies are transforming the creative freedom for performers to see the virtual environment in which they are performing.

12: Image Based Lighting

Seamless blending demands matched lighting, and basing the lighting directly on images in the virtual world can automate that process.

13: RGBW LED Wall Technology

Emerging RGBW technology in the manufacture of LED video wall panels can expand the creative options available within virtual production.

14: Comparing OLED and microLED fixtures

In the search for a display combining perfect blacks, peak brightness and practical economics, MicroLED may be the best technology yet.

15: Finishing

The goal of wall-based virtual production is to achieve a finished result in-camera. In drama, this is desirable; in live work, it is essential.

16: New Adventures In Fantasy Worlds With SWR

How public broadcaster SWR built an entirely new broadcast format with subframe technology.