We’ve Pioneered Virtual Production for a Decade–Let’s Catch You Up.

Key takeaways:

• Cobalt Stages has been at the forefront of Virtual Production since 2015, when we introduced the emerging technology to the East Coast.
• Virtual Production pushes cinematic boundaries, opening up creative possibilities and stretching budgets.
• You can choose your Virtual Production workflow, either Traditional (where the final compositing happens in post) or Final Pixel (which generates live, finished composites while you film).
• We take a consultative approach to help you get started or go next-level. We’re here to share our love of Virtual Production with producers at any stage – beginners and seasoned pros, alike.

Based on a Presentation for the Woodstock Film Festival by Kara Vedder, President of Cobalt Stages, and Partner, Alex Fernbach:

Cobalt Stages has been leading the charge in Virtual Production since 2015, when we brought the tech to the East Coast. It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome—industry vets pushed back with the classic, “But we’ve always done it this way.” Change is tough. But we stuck with it because we saw what Virtual Production could do. Eventually, we boiled it all down to three words: pushing cinematic boundaries. And honestly? That’s what it’s all about. The creative freedom is real—even on a shoestring budget. (Trust us, as producers, we’ve lived those trade-offs.)

Virtual Production opens up new possibilities like:

• Staging your story anywhere imaginable-–past, present or future.
• High production value on a shoestring budget.
• No more weather days, or chasing the sun.
• Shooting entire projects on stage in a controlled environment.
• No more travelling cast & crews.
• Fewer box trucks….. Loading & unloading….

What Is Virtual Production?

Virtual Production integrates computer-generated environments with live action, allowing filmmakers to see the composite in real-time, during the shoot. This creates a seamless blend between physical and digital elements, giving directors unprecedented creative freedom and control.

Virtual Production: LED Volumes & Chroma Key Screens

Time to bust a major misconception….  Virtual Production isn’t synonymous with LED volumes.  LED walls are an option, not a requisite. Chroma key screens work just fine in most cases.  In fact, you can take a Hybrid approach using green screen for wide shots and LED walls for close-ups. If you’re shooting highly reflective live action elements (like cars or sparkly wardrobe) this is where LED walls really shine (pun intended ;)).

LED volumes and green/ blue screens are just tools. All of them work with the Virtual methodology.  Our system handles BOTH LED & green/blue screen.

Workflows in Virtual Production

Choose your Virtual Production workflow; either Traditional where the final compositing happens in post, or Final Pixel, which generates live finished composites while you film.

With Final Pixel, you can expect to spend more time in planning and pre-production, but you won’t have post to worry about.

Where to Find Budget-Stretching Virtual Assets

Creating virtual environments doesn’t mean building everything from scratch. There are plenty of online marketplaces where you can find ready-made 3D models for a fraction of what a physical set would cost:

• TurboSquid
• Unreal Marketplace (FAB)
• Scans Factory

Check out this Soviet Bunker for $10.

Image from TurboSquid.com.

You can hardly get a breakfast sandwich for $10 these days.

Speaking of Cost Savings

We saved the budget convo for last because cost-savings can turn off producers who equate it with cutting corners on quality. We founded Cobalt as a “By Producers, For Producers’ company, so we get that.

Virtual Production can help you achieve the quality you want, while stretching the budget you have, allowing you to eliminate expenses like these where you think it makes sense:

• Location scouting
• Travel
• Permits
• Security
• Weather days

Virtual Production in Action, Brought to You by Cobalt Stages

Take a deeper dive into the elements of Virtual Production, and get ideas for your next project.

• Jimmy Fallon’s Christmas Spectacular: 3 cameras, 12 sets, dozens of A-listers – shot in 3 days
• Hackerland Episodes 36 & 37: 10 scenes, 4 countries – shot in 3 days
• LG commercial: Virtual home set, minimal practical elements – shot in half a day

FAQs About Cobalt Tech

Cobalt On The Road:

We Bring Virtual to You, Anywhere.

Key takeaways:

• Our capabilities include the production tools everyone’s talking about: Virtual Production and Robotics.
• What truly sets Cobalt apart is our consultative approach. It’s important to us to help filmmakers confidently tell their stories without creative compromise.
• We continually expand our mobile offerings, and remain committed to making advanced production technologies accessible to seasoned professionals and first-timers, alike.

As film and television producers ourselves, we know that adaptability isn’t just beneficial in our industry—it’s essential. And, we bring next level technology + creative support to your doorstep–literally.

Get the Production Tools Everyone’s Talking About – Delivered to You

Virtual Production

The latest addition to our “Cobalt on the Road” offerings is Virtual Production. This technology integrates computer-generated environments with live action, allowing directors and cinematographers to see the composite as they shoot.

Our Virtual Production setup can work with either:

• LED volumes – excellent when you have a lot of reflective surfaces, like cars or shiny costumes, or need interactive lighting
• Green screen or blue screen technology – typically best suited for wide shots where actors are seen grounded to the floor

Motion Control Technology

Motion control (MoCo) is a precision robotics system that can be put to work on practical or virtual sets. It enables identical, repeatable camera movements, taking production value to the next level when:

• An actor needs to play multiple characters in the same scene
• Operating an impossible to execute shot
• You want to control the flow of time around a subject
• Shooting multiple celebrities with different schedules, in the same scene

Our MoCo systems can transform a static shot into a dynamic, cinematic experience without the telltale signs of visual effects at work. It enables repeatable, robotic precision that feels hand-crafted.

Expert Production Consulting Comes With!

What truly sets Cobalt apart is our consultative approach 🙂

We’re not here to sell you the flashiest technology. We’re here to understand your goals, and advise you on your options. Pros, cons, trade offs – warts and all. We believe it’s important to work with clients to develop the absolute best solution to realize their creative vision without losing sight of financial realities.

As we continually expand our mobile offerings, we remain committed to making advanced production technologies accessible to filmmakers at every level. Whether you’re a seasoned director shooting on location, or tackling your first Virtual Production, Cobalt on the Road comes to you with knowledge to share, choices to weigh and the support of fellow producers who actually get it.

Lets talk.

FAQs About “Cobalt on the Road”

Virtual production is NOT expensive.

With any cutting-edge tech in film, there’s an expectation that it will initially be the preserve of big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. In the case of Virtual Production, this is a misconception further cemented by the ubiquity of examples such as The Mandalorian and Dune: Part Two.

Reordering your pipeline to save massively in post.

While it’s true that Virtual Production is widely used in Hollywood, its usefulness doesn’t end there. In reality, the technology offers cost savings which will appeal to any production team! Think of it as a re-ordering of the overall production process; your 3D computer graphic assets are now prepared in full quality in pre-production, and your post-production compositing is the shoot itself. The saving is the reduced post-production time and the removal of on-set errors.

Earlier, easier, safer creative decisions.

Also, the ability to make creative decisions earlier on in the process, will result in cleaner takes given that actors are present while those calls are being made, as opposed to fixing costly errors in post (or, even more inconveniently, with re-shoots). On top of that, virtual scouting eliminates the cost of travel and indeed our carbon footprints.

AGAIN: Saving time and saving money.

The true magic of Virtual Production, however, lies in the fact that it is not a cheap substitute for ‘the real thing’ – it is simply an alternative. As a report from Deloitte noted, “Hollywood may be reaching the limits of efficiency using the traditional production methodology. The mindset and toolset of Virtual Production can support not only better creative outcomes, but also potentially significant time and cost savings.”

And in this instance, what’s true for Hollywood is true for the rest of the industry, too. It’s certainly been true for us at Cobalt 🙂

We built Cobalt Woodstock to offer a space that’s big enough for productions of any size. Now that we have multiple stages totaling a whopping 22,000 sq feet, we welcome not only our lovely commercial clients, but also TV episodics and features, boasting an entire building of production opportunity. We heard the rumblings of the newest Upstate New York Tax incentives, and didn’t want to be left out of the 40-45% credit that surpasses all of NYC (yes, even Brooklyn) and even the New Jersey stages.

Stage 1

At 12,000 square feet, Stage 1 is our largest space, and even larger than our Hoboken space. Ready to accommodate any project, we’re fully mapped for Virtual Production!! Of course, if you’re looking to shoot full practical, we can easily do that, as well. With ceilings that soar 36 feet at their highest point, we can handle pretty much anything. This massive space (with ridiculous ceilings), is accessed through our gigantic Trojan-horse-sized sound vestibule doors – and YES, Cobalt Woodstock is also a drive on stage!!

Stage 2

Stage 2 is an additional 7,000 square feet, which offers expansion space for a wide range of projects. Often in use, don’t hesitate to holler if you want to take advantage of the extra expanse! This stage is an add-on to our Main Stage – Stage 1.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is our tidy insert stage that’s 3,000 sq feet. Close to the Main Stage, yet completely private. Whether used as a control room, a catering hall, a still shoot, a VO recording, or for motion control (where you need a bit of isolation), it’s the ideal oasis that extends Cobalt’s upscale practicality—upstairs and conveniently located adjacent to our Vanity Dept.

And there’s no reason why you couldn’t take all 3 stages! Just take over the entire building for a couple months if that’s what you need.

Our In-The-Pipeline projects include:

A feature that takes place in virtual 1914 Paris, a feature shooting on-location in SC that is virtually New Orleans, a sci-fi episodic at Cobalt Woodstock, and a food commercial.

You don’t want to miss out – give us a ring to schedule look – can’t wait to see you up here!

Lets talk.

FAQs about “Cobalt on the Road”

MOBILE Virtual Production.

Cobalt On The Road:

MOBILE Virtual Production.

Redefining what’s possible.

Cobalt Stages is revolutionizing the production landscape with its innovative “Cobalt on the Road” MOBILE Virtual Stage, bringing cutting-edge Virtual Production directly to clients’ locations. This approach offers unparalleled flexibility and efficiency, enabling high-quality productions without the logistical challenges of traditional set-building or on-location shoots.

A prime example of this innovation is the collaboration with NBC for “Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular.” Cobalt’s MOBILE Virtual Stage facilitated the shooting of 12 polished sets in just three days, utilizing three tracked cameras for real-time compositing. This setup allowed for production of diverse scenes—from a magical Christmas hallway to a rustic lodge—without the need for location permits or extensive travel. The result was a visually stunning special that captivated 6.3 Million viewers during its primetime debut on December 4, 2024.

The “Cobalt on the Road” system is designed for mobility and convenience, enabling productions to save time and money while reducing scheduling stress. By bringing the virtual stage to the client’s preferred location, Cobalt eliminates the need for talent and crew to travel, streamlines lighting requirements, and offers real-time compositing capabilities. This approach not only enhances creative freedom but also significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with traditional production methods.

In addition to its MOBILE solutions, Cobalt Stages offers a Hybrid Virtual Production workflow that combines LED walls with green screen technology. This approach maximizes efficiency and creativity, particularly for small and mid-range budget projects. By utilizing green screens for wide shots and LED walls for mid and close-up shots, productions can achieve realistic visuals without the need for large, expensive LED volumes. This hybrid method allows for seamless integration of real and virtual elements, providing a versatile solution for various production needs.

Cobalt’s commitment to innovation extends beyond technology. As a woman-owned company, Cobalt emphasizes gender equality in the industry and operates as a green facility, focusing on sustainable practices such as reducing waste and minimizing carbon emissions. Their comprehensive, turnkey production solutions are designed to meet the diverse needs of creative professionals, offering state-of-the-art stages, extensive in-house equipment, and a supportive team dedicated to delivering exceptional results.

For productions seeking to elevate their storytelling capabilities while maintaining efficiency and sustainability, Cobalt Stages’ MOBILE Virtual Stage and Hybrid Virtual Production workflows offer transformative solutions. By embracing these innovative approaches, creators can bring their most ambitious visions to life, unbounded by traditional production constraints.

FAQs about “Cobalt on the Road”

MOBILE Virtual Production.

Cobalt Stages takes Virtual Production

On the Road.

No permits, no hassle, just plain-ole movie magic!

We know you love our stages, BUT… Imagine a world where high-quality production isn’t tied to a massive studio, endless permits, or the soul-crushing traffic of getting everyone to set. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, hello hello, Cobalt Stages is making that a reality with Cobalt on the Road—a MOBILE Virtual Stage that brings cutting-edge Virtual Production straight to YOU. That’s right. Your location. Your schedule. Your creative vision—minus the logistical nightmares.

How we shot 12 stunning sets in 3 Days for NBC—Yes, really.

NBC put this game-changing tech to the test for Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular, and the results? Pure magic. Cobalt’s MOBILE Virtual Stage shot twelve polished sets in just three days, using three tracked cameras for real-time compositing. That means seamless transitions from a festive winter wonderland to a cozy, rustic lodge—without hauling an entire production team across multiple locations. No permits, no travel chaos, just studio-quality visuals that wowed 6.3 million viewers on December 4, 2024. Not bad for a few days’ work, huh?

Why “Cobalt on the Road” is a Game-Changer.

Here’s the deal: time is money, and traditional productions eat up both like an unsupervised intern at craft services. With Cobalt on the Road, productions cut down on:

✔️ Travel time – The Virtual Stage comes to YOU, so no more wrangling talent and crew across multiple cities.

✔️ Lighting logistics – Real-time compositing means less setup and more shooting.

✔️ Stress levels – Fewer moving parts = fewer gray hairs for everyone involved.

And the cherry on top? This method slashes the environmental impact of production. No fuel-guzzling flights, no wasteful set builds—just smart, sustainable filmmaking.

Our MOBILE Virtual Production Solution.

We’re at the forefront of this Virtual Production revolution! We’re so excited to now offer a MOBILE VP Solution that brings the magic of virtual environments directly to your set. Our NEW state-of-the-art, portable system combines cutting-edge VR technology with advanced software and hardware, providing a seamless and interactive production experience.

Designed for flexibility and adaptability, our MOBILE Virtual Production solution allows filmmakers to work in a variety of environments and locations at the stage or location of your choosing. Equipped with advanced motion capture technology, actors can perform within a virtual environment with precise tracking and real-time feedback. Plus, with top-notch lighting and rendering capabilities, filmmakers can achieve high-quality, photorealistic results that rival traditional methods.

(Now, don’t get us wrong, if you’d like to continue to take advantage of the “Upstate bump” of the +10% to the already incredible NY tax credits, you are still WELCOME to shoot with us at Cobalt Woodstock in the Hudson Valley.)

Hybrid Virtual Production: Because one size doesn’t fit all.

For projects that need a mix of tech magic, Cobalt also offers Hybrid Virtual Production—a genius combo of LED walls and green screen technology. This approach lets productions keep costs down while still delivering cinematic brilliance. Wide shots? Green screen. Mid and close-ups? LED walls. It’s a budget-friendly way to get Hollywood-level results without selling a kidney.

Innovation meets sustainability.

Beyond the tech, Cobalt Stages is also making waves as a woman-owned, eco-conscious production house. Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword here—it’s baked into their DNA. By reducing waste and minimizing carbon emissions, Cobalt proves that innovation and responsibility can go hand in hand. And if you’re sweet, we might even gift you with some of our homemade organic skin care product, Kara Care 😉

Ready to break free from traditional production constraints?

If you’re looking to take your storytelling to the next level—without the usual headaches—Cobalt Stages has the solution. With MOBILE Virtual Stages and Hybrid Virtual Production, creativity is no longer limited by location, budget, or outdated production methods.

Lights, camera, no limits. Let’s roll.

FAQs about “Cobalt on the Road” MOBILE Virtual Production.

A New Hybrid Virtual Production Workflow

At Cobalt, you know we’re always trying to figure out next-level cost-effective efficiencies 😉  We feel a “Hybrid” Virtual Production workflow, which combines different production methods, may be the answer. Small to medium budget projects and corporate content producers are under increasing pressure to create more-for-less with the current state of the film industry and economic issues, at large.

The origin of hybrid Virtual Production lies in the need to blend traditional and modern techniques to maximize efficiency and creativity.

Here’s the thing… Many people mistakenly use Virtual Production as a synonym for LED wall filming. In reality, Virtual Production can cover everything from LED walls to green screen, blue screen and much more.

So, when talking about Virtual Production, there is a misconception that its rise in popularity will mean that LED walls are going to take over from green screen production. Not true at all. They believe that huge LED volumes will be required to film what they need, when in fact, if you MIX smaller LED walls with green screen, then you don’t need a huge volume to shoot big projects, at all. With a Hybrid Virtual Production workflow, it can all be achieved within a relatively small space, without splashing out on big expensive volumes.

Hybrid Virtual Production Workflow

Virtual Production for small and mid-range budgets has been somewhat neglected in all the LED Virtual Production hype, yet these are the types of projects that would benefit the most from what it has to offer by increasing production value within the same budget. Virtual Production thrives on constraints. The moment you’re limited by budget or location, VP kicks in – and that’s where it gets highly efficient. It is a powerful tool which can enable production in seemingly far away and exotic locations, which would break most budgets.

For example, when filming with LED volumes, you need to bring set builders in to create a seamless joint between the real-world studio and virtual scene displayed on the LED wall, and then you can’t have natural shadows… That means your digital advantage of switching from one scene to the next for super fast production is now out the window. You have to build the floor for every different scene, which complicates things and is the opposite of what people expect with LED wall filming, which has a reputation for being more efficient.

This is why a lot of LED wall demos are actually done with sand as you can pour it out and move it quickly for easy set building. But we can’t just keep filming on beaches and deserts or far away planets… When people look back on work filmed in Virtual Production, I’ll bet they’ll know it was shot between 2021-2022 just by noting the sand used for the floor!

With green screen, on the other hand, you can film the floor as it’s part of the scene you want, along with the shadows cast, making it look more realistic. Easy freakin’ peasy.

Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of both styles of filming, it would make sense to use each for its benefits. That’s why we tend to like a Hybrid Virtual Production workflow which combines the two – filming on green screen for wide shots where you’ll need to film the floor, and then switching to LED volumes in the same studio for mid and close-up shots 🙂

LED walls work really well for this, particularly if your actor is wearing glasses or something reflective, which in green screen causes a green colour spill, (this can be removed by the more experienced Director of Photography like what our Alex Fernbach did for our latest NBC project). Green spill is much more forgiving in wide shots where you’re further away from the actors. In LED, it just reflects the scene spill around them which is more realistic.

So your actors are shooting on green screen, and once they move over to the LED wall in the same studio, someone can prepare the green screen and its foreground props for the next scene. It all just creates further efficiency on set and throughout production.

All these misconceptions and misunderstandings mean that there is some further education needed within this space. And that’s not surprising seeing as this is a fairly new way of filming. Not only that, it’s a completely new workflow, which through preparation and pre-production, drastically reduces post production and filming time.  In fact, much of what has historically been considered “post work” is now done in PRE production and finished during actual production shoot days.

There is currently a knowledge gap in the industry between the experts in Virtual Production and the majority of filmmakers and producers who will be using it to create bigger and better work. But there is a hunger for it, and people are starting to get curious which is why we are holding a Woodstock Film Festival Filmmaker Meetup at COBALT WOODSTOCK this Saturday, Feb 8  from 3-5:30pm.  Be one of the first to master this technology and help lead the way for a future of magical filmmaking. Reply to this email with an RSVP or with your email if you would like to be part of the Livestream.  We hope to see you there!!

Want to learn more about Virtual Production and how to use it?

Let’s talk.

FAQs about “Cobalt on the Road” MOBILE Virtual Production.

Woodstock Film Festival Filmmaker Meetup!

Calling all Hudson Valley/Catskill filmmakers, directors, producers, writers, editors, cinematographers, and the like! Join us for an afternoon of networking, idea-sharing, and project discussions. Connect with like-minded professionals, hear from guest speakers, and share your own projects during an open mic session. Learn how to get involved in the 26th Annual Woodstock Film Festival and explore exciting new additions!

This month’s speakers include: Kara Vedder and Alex Fernbach, owners of Cobalt Stages, Virtual Production: Insights & Innovation. More speakers TBA!

Beer, wine, coffee, and light refreshments will be served. Once you have RSVP’d, you will receive a brief survey to fill out so that we can get to know you more.