Virtual Production at Garden Studios: Bringing the Titanic to Life

In the fall of 2023, Atlantic Productions approached Garden Studios asking how we could use an LED stage to present a digital asset that would convey a dramatic scale between an object and a real human.  

Today, you can see the results of this partnership: National Geographic’s feature documentary, “Titanic: The Digital Resurrection,” which was released on April 11.  

Our team harnessed our state-of-the-art LED virtual production wall to breathe new life into the legendary shipwreck. The result is an immersive, photorealistic visual experience that honoured the scale of one of history’s most iconic maritime tragedies. 

Over the course of a four-month preproduction phase, we worked in close collaboration with the wider production team. Our goal was to design the ideal wall dimensions and technical configuration that would maximise on-screen impact while remaining efficient and cost-effective. 

The 23m x 8m LED wall helped to evoke the immense presence of the Titanic while capturing cinematic depth and realism. The digital environment was built around a highly detailed 3D scan of the wreck, constructed from over 700,000 images, providing both historical and visual accuracy. The 23m x 8m LED wall was mounted in our Iris 3 stage, which is 5,005 square feet, with 9.5m height to the bottom of the truss. The LED wall was flown from the truss with a 2 degree curve. 

Whilst the scan was externally sourced, the Garden Studios team was responsible for all real-time optimisation and lighting within Unreal Engine 5. This allowed us to maintain performance and stability whilst preserving the visual fidelity and impact of the digital scans of the Titanic. 

Each shot was carefully tech-vised in advance, allowing production to previsualise camera positions and movement within the virtual environment and physical LED stage. This step was critical, not only for technical accuracy, but also for aligning the director’s creative vision with on-set execution. 

Working closely with the Director of Photography, we developed comprehensive pre-vis sequences to fully leverage the richness of the Titanic scan. This approach empowered him to shoot with confidence, capturing each moment with precision, while creating an experience that brought audiences and expert contributors alike to the ocean floor, face-to-face with the shipwreck that still fascinates the world.

You can watch the documentary on Nat Geo and Disney Plus today. To learn more about the behind the scenes and making of the documentary, catch our session ‘To VP or not to VP’ at the Media Production and Technology Show on the 14th of May where we will be joined by Atlantic Productions Producer Lina Zilinskaite. Grab your tickets here.