Self-Made Virtual Production – What Do You Need to Get Started?

June 12^th, 20261

Self-Made Virtual Production – What Do You Need to Get Started?

by Mascha DeikovaJune 12^th, 2026

“Virtual production.” I would be surprised if you’ve never heard this expression before. For the past years, starting with “The Mandalorian’s” reveal of how they shot their first season on a huge LED Volume, it has become a go-to tool for lots of films and projects. Yet, although it is nothing new and there are even things like “mobile virtual production,” most people still tend to think about this technology as something tremendously expensive and only suitable for Hollywood-like budgets. Well, that’s not true. In fact, you can even make a virtual production studio yourself. What do you need to get started? Let’s find out!

Our latest release on MZed, “Virtual Production for Beginners,” handles exactly this topic. In a comprehensive 7,5-hour course, Biro Florin (founder of Virtual Production Coach) takes the participants step-by-step through the accessible green screen workflows. The keyword here is “accessible.” In this article, we will give you a sneak peek into one of the lessons from the course and talk about the equipment you will need to get started with your own virtual production. Trust me, it’s nowhere near as expensive as you might think.

What is a virtual production in a nutshell?

Before we jump into setups, let’s get some terms straight. When you hear the word “virtual,” what do you imagine? Something that is not real, right? Everything virtual: actors, sets, cameras, props, and so on. That’s why, in Biro Florin’s opinion, we should actually call this technique “mixed production” instead. Because in the film industry, virtual production means that you are mixing real elements with virtual ones, like the ones you see below:

A screenshot from the course. Image source: Biro Florin / MZed

The main point here is that virtual production merges real and virtual elements directly on set while shooting, and not in post-production. (The latter would be in the area of VFX.) Its goal is to allow filmmakers to place the action somewhere difficult. Maybe it’s a place you don’t have access to, or an outlandish location like Mars that would be too expensive to recreate as a set. Sometimes, virtual production is simply the best logistical tool to wrap several scenes in various locations within one shooting day. (Well, it definitely gives you full control over the lighting, and you can spare the big company moves.)

What you need to get started with virtual production

First off, naturally, you will need a background projection, either on a green screen or LED wall, that displays 3D-environments with real-time rendering. This course focuses on a green-screen approach. It is definitely a more accessible one, and you can try it easily at home in a small pop-up version without investing tons of money in LED walls.

Other key components for a virtual production are motion tracking and lens profiling. The former allows you to synchronize the real camera position with the virtual camera so that the parallax matches. If you only want to shoot static shots, you won’t need it. Yet for static shots, there are probably easier approaches than a VP.

Lens profiling, in its turn, matches focal length, zoom synchronization, and distortion between real and virtual footage. This is super important: Imagine you are using a super wide lens on your actor, but the background plate doesn’t reflect the characteristics of the lens.

This may sound a bit abstract for now, but it will all become clearer in the next step. The first step is getting the right equipment.

Cameras for self-made virtual production

Everything starts with a camera, of course.

As Biro Florin points out in the lesson, you need to get one that has at least an HDMI output. In his experience, however, working with SDI is the better option. It is the standard cable-based connection for carrying video signals, and it is more secure because the connector locks into place. The course also highlights several other differences, summarized below:

Comparing SDI and HDMI. Image source: Biro Florin / MZed

The camera choice is up to you, naturally. Just to give you an example: Biro’s virtual production studio is currently using Blackmagic Studio 6K Pro (with a multi-camera set-up). There are other good models you that are even cheaper. All of those mentioned below come in an SDI flavor.

Here they are:

Just bear in mind: If you decide to go the SDI-route, plan your budget accordingly as the cables are much more expensive than the ones for HDMI.

Behind-the-scenes with a Blackmagic cam. Image source: Biro Florin / MZed

Where will the signal go?

Next up, you will need to process the signal that you get from the camera. There are two basic approaches, which Biro Florin compares in the course:

How does the signal flow in these two approaches? Image source: Biro Florin / MZed

The software-based approach means you will use just one computer for all the tasks, i.e. removing the green screen, bringing the keyed footage into Unreal Engine, compositing, and potentially even recording. For this, you will need two things. First, a capture card to convert your camera signal into a computer-readable video signal. Second, you’ll need a powerful computer with enough processing headroom. For example, a MacBook with an M4 chip should be sufficient to run Unreal Engine and output one 4K camera feed. However, you may need to compromise slightly on image quality, and once you start using multiple cameras simultaneously, this setup will likely no longer be sufficient.

Hardware-based option

The second approach splits the steps and uses a dedicated device for each specific function. It allows you to sustain the high quality, and to keep growing your set-up when your virtual production studio starts to evolve.

In Biro Florin’s studio, they decided to stay with one vendor for better compatibility, so the rest of the equipment they use also comes from Blackmagic. For instance, for keying and compositing, they opted for Blackmagic Ultimatte 12 4K. (However, there are other versions of this device, which are smaller and cheaper and can also be HDMI-based, if you need something simpler for your emerging virtual production.)

At the same time, you will also need a recorder to capture the final composited signal. A good go-to option is HyperDeck – for instance, Studio 4K Pro (but also available in various spec- and price options).

Platform for your virtual production

You will also need the software for your virtual environments and camera moves. As Biro Florin explains, the go-to solution here is still Unreal Engine. Originally, it was (and is) a game development engine. It allows users to create 3D worlds, bring in 3D assets (important note: this application is not suitable for modeling), and create game mechanics. It has lots of cinematic features, which are a great solution for virtual production. The best part is that Unreal Engine is free. In other words, the core software you need to run virtual production does not cost anything. The main expense will likely be the environments for your film or video projects, unless you are a 3D artist yourself or are working with one, which is advisable.

The next big step for a self-made virtual production

The next thing you will need for a self-made virtual production is a stage, unless you want to start with a pop-up setup first. This is a big topic, and it’s covered in several subsequent lessons of the “Virtual Production for Beginners” course on MZed. There, you will learn how to choose the right stage size and shape, what materials are needed, and get practical construction tips as well. The 7.5-hour course covers everything you need to know to start building your own virtual production studio.

Want to check it out? Then head over here! The course is available as part of the MZed Pro subscription.

What else do you get with MZed Pro?

With MZed Pro, you can stream hundreds of hours of filmmaking education. We continually add new courses (several are currently in production). Starting at just $29/month (billed at $349 in the first year, $199 from the second year, or billed monthly at $49), here’s what you’ll get:

65+ courses, over 850+ high-quality lessons.
Highly produced courses from educators with decades of experience and awards, including a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award.
Unlimited access to stream all content during the 12 months.
Offline download and viewing with the MZed iOS app.
Discounts to ARRI Academy online courses, exclusively on MZed.
Most of our courses provide an industry-recognized certificate upon completion.
Purchasing the courses outright would cost over $9,500.
Course topics include cinematography, directing, lighting, cameras and lenses, producing, indie filmmaking, writing, editing, color grading, audio, time-lapse, pitch decks, and more.
7-day money-back guarantee if you decide it’s not for you (on annual billing only).

Let’s talk a bit more about self-made virtual production! What do you think about this approach? Where do you see its biggest potential? What kinds of projects would you definitely try it on? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Feature image source: Biro Florin / MZed; combined screenshots from the course.

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD.
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