Building the world of AZUL using Unreal Engine 5

Using Unreal Engine 5 we set out to push these new tools in new and creative ways. We leveraged both traditional filmmaking techniques and virtual production vfx techniques to bring the world of AZUL to life. Using Unreal Engine to drive and control custom LED light strips, we were able to get real interactive lighting — one of pillars of virtual production - to tie CG holographic ads and billboards into our environments. Having that real interactive lighting anchor the computer generated elements was key in delivering shots that looked real and integrated into their surroundings.

Virtual Production stages can sometimes be expensive or difficult to book. For some outdoor shots of our future Cancun police, we shot our subject outside using the sun as our main light source. We shot the footage on an iPhone 13 Pro RAW and then brought that into Unreal Engine, using Niagara to generate giant plumes of smoke in the background and other particle effects. Once inside of Unreal Engine 5, the lighting, building placement and smoke where all customizable in real-time.

Unreal Engine was used for set extension and to slightly augment our depictions of Mexico in the near future. Our goal was to find a balance where the futurism and sci-fi spectacle didn’t distract from the main story. Using this approach encouraged us to film on-location and then use VFX to enhance what’s already there.