Our 3-Step Process for Building Production-Ready Unreal Engine Scenes
We tailor every workflow to the project, but a few core principles guide everything we do. These fundamentals apply across Unreal Engine, game cinematics, and traditional VFX; helping us build shots that stay collaborative, focused, and fast to iterate. — Felix Jorge
1️⃣ Shot Goal → Define the Story Beat
What to do:
Write a one-line goal: What moment or emotion are we capturing?
Choose your lens, framing, and camera movement to support it.
Gather 2–3 visual references for lighting, palette, and tone.
Why it matters:
Start with intention. A clear goal makes every iteration meaningful and keeps everyone aligned on what success looks like.
2️⃣ Iteration → Build Fast, Pivot Faster
What to do:
Move through Greybox → Lookdev → Lighting → Feedback → Adjust → Back to Greybox.
Export short clips (5–10s) or stills for review, moving toward layout and camera approval.
Focus on clarity, not polish; let layout and composition lead your decisions.
Why it matters:
Agreeing on shots early beats chasing perfection. Quick, visible iterations build trust, speed, and momentum across the team.
3️⃣ Final Frames → Lock the Look
What to do:
Choose the frame or 10–20s shot that best sells the story; take it as far as you’d like the entire project to go, use it to guide your look and process.
Carry over notes and metadata to other shots (lens, render type, time of day, software).
Drive shots to final using the same process established in the lookdev stage.
Render for the appropriate pipeline; cinematic pre-rendered, VFX render layers, or ICVFX real-time scenes.
Why it matters:
Using a final frame as your look development reference ensures visual consistency across scenes and sequences. It’s what producers, clients, and collaborators remember, and a reliable guide when working through building out all of your shots.
