Creativity Unleashed: NBC’s Virtual Breakthrough
Production is always part history, part invention — 'Reel Histories' chronicles the collaborations that keep the craft alive and endlessly inventive.
“It allowed us to do things we could never do.”
— Bill Bracken, Supervising Producer
The dream team behind Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular didn’t just overcome impossible logistics — it unleashed ideas too big for traditional sets.
Bill Bracken:
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but given the material, story, and the nature of the music that Jimmy and his team created, it was a perfect fit.
Alex Fernbach:
It basically allowed the writers to go crazy and not edit their expectations due to budgets or locations. If they wanted a snowfield, if they needed a hardware store, if they needed a hall with a lot of doors as the overarching magical concept, if they needed the Jonas Brothers in a snow globe, or if they needed a cabin in the northwest where Justin Timberlake’s piece happened, that could all be done.
Once you’re in the land of virtual, the limits fall away. It doesn’t cost much more to build an opulent castle than it does to build a two-wall office with Venetian blinds. Anything you produce in computer graphics is more realistic and enabling than a bare-bones practical set, which limits you to close-ups and medium close-ups as opposed to a wide shot.
Kara Vedder:
Every now and then, you need to see their feet…
Alex Fernbach:
The audience senses the shortcuts – a cheap set takes you out of the moment. With virtual sets, we could give NBC something photoreal, with wide shots, with choreography, with feet on the ground. We weren’t trapped in medium close-ups. That was the liberation.
There’s no reason to settle for a chintzy two-wall set anymore.
🎥
Stay tuned for the full Reel Histories: Jimmy Fallon’s Virtual Wonderland — 12 Sets, 3 Cameras, No Do-Overs. Premieres Sept 24.
It’s our MOBILE Virtual Production capability we bring to you anywhere, along with our top-flight crew and equipment. Check out: Virtual Production: Top 3 Things Every Producer Should Know.
So many line items can be slashed:
- Travel for talent and crew
- Location scouting, permits and fees
- Elaborate physical sets
- Weather days
See how “Cobalt on the Road” can bring you:
Our Virtual Stage frees your imagination to create 3D sets that wouldn’t be possible or financially feasible, otherwise. You can shoot anywhere from the bottom of the Ocean to Mars at an incredible level of detail. What’s more, nothing has to push to post, if you so choose. You can tinker with lighting, color, composites and visual effects in real-time as your talent interacts authentically with their environment. With “Cobalt on the Road” you can have this at YOUR doorstep.
Virtual Production Cobalt Stages was the 1st company to bring Virtual Sets to the East Coast in 2016. Our VP tools are fully integrated into a plug-and-play workstation that assures complete reliability, bullet proof performance for either final pixel compositing, or, with our 4-4k recorders, all conceivable elements for a traditional post finish.
Motion control We’ve been doing MoCo and precision playback for about 25 years… Wherever you are, you’ll continue to have convenient access to our comprehensive inventory of motion controlled equipment— the largest and most diverse on the East Coast.
Our Motion Control accessories include turntables, sliders, high speed sleds and XY tables—all curated to facilitate rapid design engineering and construction. We build in equipment redundancies to eliminate downtime, and we stock a vast inventory of components for creating custom rigs that ensure efficient effects for production.
Cobalt Tech has always prided itself on being “toolset agnostic”. In fact, we are production advisors. We listen first, and then assemble the most appropriate tools in our arsenal to facilitate each and every project.
Cobalt never shrinks away from the challenge. In fact, we LOVE puzzles! Our last project, “Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular” required us to bring not 1, but 3, fully tracked and mapped camera rigs to an outside stage in NYC for our clients convenience.
Cobalt is By Producers, For Producers. We leverage our Industry experience to make everything you need easily accessible, so you can focus on what matters–doing your best work. We’re committed to creating the most comfortable, convenient, cutting-edge, and cost effective experience.
Helping producers problem-solve their projects is one of our specialties. We believe in taking the time to listen, and we’re quick to offer innovative and practical solutions to save your production time, money, and stress.
Want to learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun.