VIRTUAL ART DEPARTMENT
(VAD)
From 2D content to 3D Unreal Engine worlds — we design everything around your story.
What is a Virtual Art Department?
Virtual production is changing the way films are made, and at the heart of it all is the Virtual Art Department (VAD). This team designs the digital assets, environments, and visuals that help bring your ideas to life on screen.
Working hand in hand with directors, cinematographers, and VFX teams, the VAD makes sure every digital element blends seamlessly with what’s happening on set. They’re also key in previsualization (previs), creating virtual sets and scenes so you can see how everything will look and feel before the cameras even start rolling.
What are the benefits of Silvertown Studios’ in-house VAD team?
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Streamlined Process
At Silvertown Studios, we create all of our 2D and 3D content in-house. That means our Virtual Art Department works directly with our technicians and project managers from day one, developing bespoke environments and assets that are designed specifically for your production. By handling content creation ourselves, we avoid the delays and disconnects that can happen when outsourcing, giving you more flexibility and control throughout the process. Because everything is designed under one roof, we can test, adjust, and refine quickly, making sure every detail is ready before you step onto the stage. This joined-up approach keeps the workflow smooth and collaborative
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Tailored Environments
Our in-house GFX artists have extensive experience designing a wide range of environments, from realistic cityscapes like Downtown Los Angeles to stylised and imaginative worlds. By combining creative skill with technical expertise, they can deliver environments that match the specific needs of your production—whether that’s enhancing realism or building something entirely unique. Working closely with your team from concept through to final render, our artists ensure each environment is designed with purpose, detail, and accuracy, so it fits seamlessly into your story
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If you would like more information,
or have a project in mind you’d like to discuss get in touch!
Virtual Art Department (VAD) Services
A Virtual Art Department (VAD) sits at the heart of every successful virtual production. Responsible for designing, building and optimising digital environments, the VAD bridges the gap between creative vision and technical execution, ensuring virtual worlds perform seamlessly on LED volumes and real-time production stages.
At Silvertown Studios, our in-house Virtual Art Department works alongside directors, agencies, production companies and brands to create immersive digital environments tailored to each project. From photorealistic landscapes and automotive driving environments to architectural visualisations and fully bespoke virtual worlds, our team develops content specifically for virtual production workflows.
By combining creativity with technical expertise, we ensure every environment not only looks stunning but performs efficiently in real-time production scenarios.
From Concept To Final Pixel
Every virtual production project starts with an idea.
Our Virtual Art Department helps transform creative concepts into production-ready virtual environments that can be displayed across our LED volumes and virtual production stages.
Services include:
Unreal Engine Environment Development
Virtual Set Design
Environment Optimisation
Virtual Production Previsualisation
Automotive Driving Environments
Product Launch Environments
Architectural Visualisation
Real-Time Rendering Workflows
Technical Scene Optimisation
Whether you have a detailed creative brief or simply an initial concept, our team can develop a workflow that aligns with your production objectives and budget.
Unreal Engine Environment Creation
Our VAD team specialises in creating real-time environments using Unreal Engine, allowing productions to take advantage of dynamic lighting, camera tracking and interactive virtual worlds.
Unlike traditional visual effects workflows, virtual production environments are built to respond in real time, creating more realistic lighting, reflections and interaction directly on set.
This approach allows directors, cinematographers and clients to view final-quality environments during filming, reducing uncertainty and improving creative decision-making throughout the production process.
Automotive Virtual Production Content
Automotive productions require a unique approach to virtual environment creation.
Our Virtual Art Department develops bespoke driving environments, cityscapes, coastal roads, mountain routes and urban landscapes specifically designed for automotive virtual production.
Combined with our driving plate workflows and LED volumes, these environments help brands create realistic vehicle content while reducing the costs and logistical challenges associated with traditional location filming.
Whether you're launching a new vehicle, producing branded content or creating a global advertising campaign, our VAD team can build environments tailored specifically to your production requirements.
Why Use An In-House Virtual Art Department?
One of the biggest advantages of working with Silvertown Studios is that our Virtual Art Department is fully integrated with our virtual production facilities.
Rather than working with multiple suppliers, productions benefit from a single team managing content creation, technical optimisation and studio delivery.
This creates:
Faster turnaround times
Improved communication
Reduced production risk
Greater creative flexibility
More efficient budgets
Seamless integration with LED volumes
Because our VAD team works closely with our technical crews and studio operators, every environment is built with real-world production performance in mind.
Virtual Production Content Designed For LED Volumes
Creating content for an LED volume requires more than simply building a 3D scene.
Our Virtual Art Department optimises every environment for colour accuracy, camera movement, playback performance and LED display technology. This ensures productions achieve realistic results in-camera while maintaining stable performance throughout filming.
Whether your project requires a fully interactive Unreal Engine environment or a bespoke virtual backdrop, our team delivers content designed specifically for modern virtual production workflows.
Why Choose Silvertown Studios?
Operating since 2020, Silvertown Studios combines virtual production stages, LED technology and Virtual Art Department services under one roof.
Our integrated workflow includes:
Virtual Art Department Services
Unreal Engine Development
LED Volume Studios
Automotive Virtual Production
Camera Tracking
Real-Time Rendering
Virtual Set Design
Driving Plate Production
Production Support
By bringing creative, technical and studio services together, we help productions move efficiently from concept development through to final shoot day while maintaining complete creative control.