Warburtons Ad Blends Virtual Production and Traditional Sets for Efficiency
Quite Brilliant, a UK virtual production studio, leveraged a hybrid approach of virtual production and traditional stages for Warburtons' "150 Years in the Baking" commercial. The project utilized LED volume technology, Unreal Engine, and AI-augmented workflows to achieve creative flexibility and efficiency across varied environments, including 1960s space race replication. This case study highlights the growing adoption of virtual production techniques in high-concept advertising for efficiency and creative control.
Key Takeaways
- The Warburtons commercial featured a 50/50 split between virtual production on an LED volume and shooting on a traditional soundstage.
- The production utilized Unreal Engine, Chaos Arena for rendering, Assimilate Live FX for plate playback, and on-set Autodesk Flame for real-time adjustments.
- AI-augmented workflows, including machine learning for depth matte generation, were used by Wunderbar for background refinement in post-production.
- The ad's diverse settings, from 1870s Bolton to a 1960s 'Mission Crumbtrol,' were achieved over five shoot days by minimizing location moves and maximizing in-camera results.
- Close collaboration with director Declan Lowney and production designer Damien Creagh ensured consistency across physical and virtual environments, including the use of older anamorphic primes for a 1960s aesthetic.
Why It Matters
The commercial reinforces virtual production's value proposition for high-end advertising, particularly in balancing ambitious creative demands with commercial timelines and budgets. This hybrid approach suggests producers can selectively deploy VP where it offers the most leverage in scale and efficiency, rather than as an all-or-nothing solution. Continued adoption in advertising, especially for diverse scene requirements, indicates growing maturity and integration of VP workflows into mainstream production. Future developments will likely focus on further streamlining the blend of real-time and post-production tools, enhancing flexibility and creative control on set.
Additional Context
The Warburtons commercial highlights a broader trend of virtual production adoption in advertising, driven by its potential for efficiency and creative flexibility. Definition Magazine (April 2026) noted that brands increasingly use VP to save time and money, and for creative control, citing the Warburtons ad as an example of leveraging VP for diverse historical settings. Similarly, LBBOnline (May 2026) reported that Door G used virtual production to create four distinct product videos for Samsung Healthcare USA's Z20 ultrasound launch in a single day, demonstrating how one studio can be transformed into multiple realities without extensive travel. CUBE Studio's January 2026 insights argue that virtual production has become a 'default' for brands and agencies seeking predictable costs, faster timelines, and scalable content. Cinematography World (May 2026) observed that while VP hasn't been completely normalized across all industry segments, it is becoming standard for high-end TV and feature films, especially for simulated travel, and advertising clients were early adopters for cost savings and creative enhancement. Chaos.com (June 2026) further detailed that Chaos Arena and Vantage contributed to a 50% cost saving for the Warburtons commercial by avoiding traditional set builds, emphasizing the financial benefits alongside creative agility.
Read full article at postperspective.com
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