Virtual Production Terminology Sheet for Filmmakers

Virtual Production can feel like learning a new language. This glossary is my attempt to translate that language into terms filmmakers already know.

Art Department, VFX, and Virtual Production often use different labels for the same ideas. Here, I’m connecting traditional filmmaking concepts with their real-time counterparts.

What We Mean by “Virtual Production”

Production refers to the traditional filmmaking process.

Virtual Production (VP) uses game-engine (Unreal Engine or Unity) workflows to support, extend, or replace physical and VFX processes - especially during development, pre-production, and shooting.

You may also hear Virtual Production referred to as Digital Production or Real-Time Production. These terms often overlap, but the intent is the same: leveraging digital workflows in pre-pro, as a design tool.

Camera, Optics & Cinematic Foundations

(We use the same language between physical and virtual filmmaking)

Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio defines the shape of the frame and how much of the world the audience sees. Common formats include 1.85:1, 2.39:1, and 16:9.

Depth of Field (DoF)

The range of sharpness in an image. In Virtual Production, DoF is controlled through virtual camera settings just like a physical lens.

Field of View (FOV)

How wide or narrow the camera sees, which directly affects scale, perspective, and how much of the environment fits into the frame.

Lens Kit

A set of physical lenses, replicated virtually to support previs, layout, lighting tests, and camera planning with the cinematographer.

Cinematic

A look or approach driven by camera, composition, lighting, and movement; not just assets and details.

Lighting & Color (Physical ↔ Virtual)

Light Kit

A physical lighting package, mirrored digitally to simulate real-world lighting behavior.

Virtual Lighting

Digital lights used inside a real-time engine to match or approximate physical lighting setups.

Lighting Scenario

Pre-built lighting setups representing different times of day or moods.

Lookup Table (LUT)

A preset color transform that maps how raw camera data is displayed, defining contrast, color, and mood. In Unreal, LUTs are used the same way - to preview and match the look of the real camera and final grade.

Color Science

How color is captured, processed, and displayed across cameras, displays, and LED walls.

Nit

A measure of screen brightness that affects exposure, reflections, and lighting balance on an LED stage.

Sets, Locations & Environments

(Art Department ↔ Virtual Art Department)

Sets / Virtual Sets

Physical or Unreal Engine (UE) environments, where scenes are designed and filmed.

Set Locations / Virtual Set Locations

Real-world & fictional locations or their UE counterparts, used for filming.

Set Design / Virtual Set Design

The process of conceptualizing and building physical or digital sets.

Set Variants / Virtual Set Variants

Alternate versions of a set to support changes in time of day, set decoration, or coverage.

Set Decoration / Virtual Set Decoration

Objects and dressing used to add realism and storytelling detail to a set.

Set Decoration Photogrammetry

Scanning real props and set dressing to create accurate digital versions for virtual production and VFX.

Set Dec Warehouse / Digital Asset Library

A centralized collection of props and digital assets used across a production.

CG or Digital Environment

Often used interchangeably with virtual set, an environment is a digital set built for a specific scene or sequence, optimized for camera coverage.

Virtual Art Department (VAD)

The Virtual Art Department (VAD) extends the traditional art department into digital and real-time workflows. You may also hear this referred to as the Real-Time Art Department.

The VAD supports directors, production designers, and cinematographers by translating scripts into usable digital storyboards, sets, and visual plans that can move smoothly into production and post.

Virtual Set Turnover

When virtual sets and assets are finalized and handed off, with approved documentation needed to execute the pre-production vision.

Final Pixel

Assets or shots that are high enough quality to be captured in camera or delivered as final imagery directly from the LED stage shoot.

Virtual Stage Walks

Virtual walkthroughs of sets used by production designers to plan blocking, set decoration, and camera moves.

Virtual Prelights

Prelighting virtual sets with cinematographers to establish camera, lighting, and look decisions that carry through to later teams.

Virtual Location Scouts

Collaborative sessions where director and their filmmakers explore locations virtually, on a screen like a video-game or VR; built from stage walks and prelights, without the need for physical travel.

Visualization Phases

Previsualization (Previs)

Creating animated digital sequences to explore shots and staging before filming.

Shot Layout

Placing cameras and staging shots with little to no animation to define how a scene will be captured. When more motion or complexity is needed, the work moves into previs.

Technical Visualization (Techvis)

Using digital assets to plan logistics such as camera placement, stunts, distances, and set requirements. Serving as a blueprint for any given shot.

Shot Minutes

A breakdown estimating shoot time per shot, used to plan scheduling and budget - especially useful when grouping setups on an LED stage.

In-Camera VFX (ICVFX) & LED Volume

In-Camera VFX (ICVFX)

Capturing visual effects live during shooting rather than adding them later in post.

LED Volume / The Volume

A stage made of LED panels that display real-time environments or plates, used for in-camera backgrounds and lighting.

Frustum

The portion of the virtual environment visible to the camera on an LED stage. Content inside the lens’s field of view is rendered at higher resolution and fidelity.

Stage Operators

Technicians responsible for running VP stage systems.

Witness Cameras

Additional cameras used to capture reference footage and alternative angles.

Real-Time & Performance Concepts

Game Engine

Software such as Unreal Engine and Unity, originally built for games, now used for real-time filmmaking.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

Hardware optimized for real-time graphics computation.

Real-Time Rendering

Rendering digital images fast enough for instant playback.

Latency

The delay between input and output on an LED stage; under ~10 milliseconds is critical for camera operation.

Level of Detail (LOD)

Multiple versions of an asset at different resolutions to optimize performance.

Decimation

Reducing asset complexity to make it usable in real time.

Data Capture & Asset Creation

Photogrammetry

Creating 3D assets from multiple photographs of a real-life item.

Data Capture

Collecting camera, lighting, and location reference during production.

Ray Tracing / Path Tracing

Simulating the physical behavior of light in a virtual environment.

Blueprints

Unreal Engine’s visual scripting system.

Universal Scene Description (USD)

An open-source file format for sharing and assembling assets across different software that wouldn’t otherwise interoperate.