Virtual Shooting Track: How Did LED Screens Transform from a "Luxury Item" to a "Standard Feature"?

  In 2019, The Mandalorian replaced the traditional green screen with a 270° circular LED screen. By leveraging real - time rendering, dynamic light - shadow interaction, and full - scene immersion technologies, it initiated a revolution that shifted the heavy reliance on post - production in traditional green - screen shooting to on - site instant visual creation. No one could have predicted that within just a few years, this technology would sweep across the global film and television industry like a storm.

From first - tier film crews to short - video studios, from the shooting locations of international blockbusters to live - streaming e - commerce rooms, LED virtual shooting is reshaping the underlying logic of image production, evolving from an industry disruptor to an infrastructure of the film and television industry. The core of this technological transformation is the identity transformation of LED screens from a "luxury item" to a "standard feature".

Data shows that as of 2024, the number of domestic LED virtual film studios has exceeded 40, forming a large - scale coverage in film and television hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hengdian, witnessing the journey of this technology from high - end applications to widespread adoption.

Case of LEGIDATECH

Technological Breakthrough: From "Out of Reach" to "Readily Available"

Early LED screens were limited by pixel density and brightness, failing to meet the image - quality requirements of film and television. In 2019, the pixel pitch of mainstream LED screens was mostly above P2.5, with a resolution of only 1080P, and suffered from serious moiré patterns and reflection issues. However, with the maturity of COB technology, in 2023, the average price of ultra - small - pitch LED screens below P1.2 dropped to 20,000 - 35,000 yuan per square meter, a decrease of 45%. The pixel density increased by more than three times, enabling an 8K resolution and a peak brightness of 2000nits.

The essence of virtual shooting lies in "what you see is what you get". In 2022, Unreal Engine 5 introduced Nanite virtual geometry technology, allowing LED screen backgrounds to perform real - time rendering of scenes with billions of polygons, with a latency of less than 1 millisecond. Coupled with the Free - D protocol of Sony's FR7 camera, real - time synchronization of camera motion data can be achieved without additional hardware, significantly lowering the technical threshold. The algorithm developed by Alibaba Pictures further reduced the calibration time from 30 hours to 20 minutes, ensuring seamless integration of virtual and real images.

Traditional green - screen shooting relies on post - production lighting adjustments, while LED screens can achieve a 14 - stop dynamic range and 10 - bit color depth through HDR technology, simulating real - time lighting effects. For example, in The Mandalorian, the dynamic light - shadow changes of the LED screen background directly affected the reflection on the actors' costumes and the shadows on their faces, making the performances more natural and realistic. This "light follows motion" characteristic has completely transformed the logic of traditional film and television lighting.

The wave of technological breakthroughs has not only reshaped hardware performance but also broken the physical boundaries of creation. When the pixel density of LED screens exceeds the limit of human perception and the latency of real - time rendering approaches zero, scenes that once only existed in imagination begin to appear realistically in front of the camera. This technological advancement not only improves image quality but also revolutionizes production efficiency.

 

Cost Reconstruction: From a "Money - Burning Game" to a "Cost - Effective Option"

In 2019, a 200 - square - meter virtual shooting LED screen system (including rendering servers) cost over 20 million yuan, affordable only for top - tier Hollywood film crews. But by 2024, with the popularization of COB and MIP technologies, the cost of a system of the same scale dropped to less than 5 million yuan, a decrease of over 70%.

Virtual shooting brings post - production forward, greatly shortening the production cycle. The efficiency of a certain film and television production using virtual shooting increased by 30%, the number of on - site workers decreased by one - third, and the cost per episode decreased by about 1.5 million yuan. Traditional green - screen shooting requires 2 - 3 months of post - production compositing, while virtual shooting can achieve 80% of the visual effect in just 1 - 2 weeks. This efficiency advantage enables small - and medium - sized projects to enjoy top - tier production. Virtual shooting reduces the costs of on - site set construction and off - site shooting.

For example, a "heavenly palace" scene in a certain film and television drama would consume 500 cubic meters of wood and take one month to build using traditional methods, while virtual shooting only requires two solid pillars and 2 tons of environmentally friendly artificial snow, saving over 500,000 yuan. Additionally, the reusability of LED screens accumulates digital assets, further reducing long - term costs.

When the hardware cost drops by 70% and the production cycle is compressed by 50%, virtual shooting has transformed from a "money - burning game" to a "cost - effective option". Behind this is the industrial democratization brought about by technological accessibility. This cost reconstruction not only allows more creators to access top - tier production tools but also gives rise to an explosive growth in application scenarios.

 

Application Expansion: From "Exclusive to Films" to "Penetrating All Scenarios"

From the interstellar battlefields of The Mandalorian to the Song - dynasty cityscapes in The Password of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, LED screens have covered all categories of film, television drama, and online drama. In 2024, more than 40 virtual film studios were established in China, and many Oscar - winning films adopted this technology. More notably, virtual shooting is penetrating from science - fiction and fantasy to realistic themes. For example, Blossoms Shanghai recreated the street scenes of Shanghai in the 1990s through LED screens, achieving a "time - space travel" visual spectacle.

In the advertising field, traditional outdoor shooting is gradually transitioning to LED virtual shooting. The production cost of a car commercial dropped from 2 million yuan to 800,000 yuan by simulating the Arctic aurora; local life service providers on Douyin use virtual live - streaming technology to offer brands an "all - in - one" solution, enabling 50 leading brands to achieve marketing innovation. In the live - streaming industry, virtual hosts provide a "see - through - the - end" immersive experience through LED backgrounds, increasing the conversion rate of single - session live - streaming e - commerce by 40%.

In the fields of education and cultural - tourism experience, the virtual film studio of Beijing Film Academy provides students with a "film - grade" creative environment, enabling full - process practice from script to finished film; the "5G Smart Virtual Photography Laboratory" in Wuxi National Digital Film Industrial Park applies virtual shooting technology to cultural - tourism projects, allowing tourists to experience "traveling" to the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang or the underwater dragon palace in front of LED screens.

When virtual shooting transforms from a "luxury item" in the film industry to an "infrastructure" in all scenarios, its value has long surpassed the technology itself. From Hollywood blockbusters to local cultural - tourism projects, from commercial advertisements to college classrooms, the popularization of LED screens has not only driven content - form innovation but also attracted high - level policy attention.

 

Policy - Driven: From "A Spark" to "A Prairie Fire"

In May 2024, six departments including the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Equipment Renewal in the Culture and Tourism Sectors, clearly proposing a "Large - scale Renewal Plan for LED Screen Projection Systems in Cinemas" and offering equipment purchase subsidies of up to 30%. Driven by policies, in 2024, more than 60 new LED movie screens were added in China, and 28 more were added in the first quarter of 2025, covering more than 30 cities across the country. This "policy + market" dual - wheel drive has accelerated the popularization of the technology.

Film and television industry clusters in Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hengdian, etc. have successively introduced special policies. For example, Shenzhen provides 20% financial support for the purchase of virtual shooting equipment and has set up a 1 - billion - yuan industry fund; Hengdian Film and Television City has invested 500 million yuan to build 10 LED virtual film studios, with a rent subsidy of up to 50%. These measures not only reduce enterprise costs but also form an industrial cluster effect, attracting upstream and downstream enterprises to gather at an accelerated pace.

In June 2024, China submitted the Technical Requirements and Measurement Methods for Digital Cinema LED Auditorium Lighting international standard proposal, which was officially approved  by the International Organization for Standardization in February 2025. This marks an important breakthrough for China in the formulation of international standards for LED movie screens and is expected to break the monopoly of DCI standards. At the same time, domestic enterprises jointly formulated the Technical Specification for Virtual Shooting LED Screens, establishing industry standards from 12 dimensions such as luminance uniformity and color consistency, filling the gap in domestic virtual shooting LED screen technology standards, and promoting the standardized development of virtual shooting technology and the large - scale application of LED screens in film and television production.