XR Production - Golf
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, XR Wall Video Production has been on the rise. "XR," or extended reality, combines digital elements—typically large curved LED screens—with practical sets to create scenes that may be difficult or impossible to capture without expensive green screen and visual effects work. Unlike VFX, where extensive post-production work is required, XR captures visuals in real time on set. Many XR productions leverage Unreal Engine, a popular tool among video game developers and 3D artists. This software projects 3D worlds onto the XR Wall LED screens and syncs them with the cameras. As the camera moves, the displayed world moves accordingly, creating the illusion of filming in a genuine 3D environment. The effect is enhanced by combining the LED visuals with physical sets, adding depth to the foreground. The potential of XR video production is just beginning to be explored, with major production companies like Disney and ESPN already adopting this technology.
As storytellers, we didn’t want to just explore the technology, we wanted to make sure that we walked away from our trial production with actual projects in the can. We decided that we would focus on getting two main productions captured over our two days at D&N Studios. The first would be a 30 second narrative golf-themed spec commercial for Beats Headphones. The other would be a short 10-15 second promotional sizzle for the Uneekor Golf Simulator brand. The two projects would use XR technology in vastly different ways: the Beats spec would use an Unreal Engine map to sell a virtual golf hole as reality, where the Uneekor spec would use motion graphics displayed on the wall to simply create visually appealing shots.
We budgeted one half-day for pre-lighting and set building, and one 10-hour shoot day for the actual execution of the shoots. The day of our pre-light, we immediately realized one of the main advantages to shooting inside on the XR Wall; the searing Minnesota summer heat was in full swing with outside temperatures touching 100°. If our shoot had been scheduled on an actual golf course, we would have been miserable at the very least, with the possibility of the production being pushed all together for safety.
THE TASK
CONCLUSION
Our team was thoroughly impressed by the capabilities of XR technology. The advantages are significant: complete control over our environment, not dealing with weather, the convenience of leaving equipment set up in the studio, and most importantly: the ability to create entirely new worlds. During our shoot, we quickly realized that we needed to think in a new way. As we navigated through our unreal world, our physical setup had to adapt accordingly. With proper preparation, this challenge turned into an advantage, allowing us to control the "sun" instead of racing against natural daylight. Once we refined our process, we were amazed at how much time and energy we saved.
The team at Dual is excited about the potential of Virtual Production. We are extremely pleased with the results of our projects and firmly believe that XR will become a cornerstone of future video production.
Special thanks to Carson Nordgaard of D&N Studios and Kyle Moe for helping us bring these projects to vivid life.
OUR APPROACH
To create a convincing Beats Headphones shoot, we needed to build a virtual golf hole. Carson Nordgaard from D&N Studios and our director Kevin Noonan swiftly developed this virtual golf hole using Unreal Engine. Through this process, we discovered several key benefits of using Unreal Engine. We designed a stunning golf hole featuring towering mountains—elements you wouldn’t find in Minnesota—and we had complete control over the sun, clouds, and wind, allowing us to fine-tune the time of day and shooting conditions. As our virtual world took shape, Kyle Moe and our production team constructed a physical tee box for our golfer, enhancing the realism of the virtual background. We brought in turf, rock, sand, and plants to create an immersive environment. The studio lighting was adjusted to mimic natural sunlight, seamlessly blending our physical and virtual worlds.
On the shoot day, we simply powered up the XR system and studio lights, and we were ready to start filming. We left our camera and lighting setup intact overnight, something unthinkable on an actual golf course. We began with our most challenging shot—a wide shot of the tee box—and then moved to closer shots. During our scout day, we realized that close-ups were the easiest and most convincing shots to capture on the XR wall. Therefore, we prioritized time for adjustments on the more complex wide shots involving our set build. Despite needing a few tweaks in our virtual world and lighting, we quickly and efficiently completed the shots. We finished the Beats commercial well ahead of schedule, giving us ample time to experiment and get creative with our Uneekor brand shoot.
THE RESULT
Take a look behind the scenes of the process of filming on the XR wall
