MetaisBet released a proof-of-concept video demonstrating the viability of using accessible virtual production technology to produce realistic historical drama. The video portrays scenes from the pilot episode of The Pale, a series that takes place in 18th century Poland and Russia.

Produced by a half dozen people working part-time over four months under the supervision of Savannah College of Art and Design professor Joerg Schodl with direction by Porter Justus, the sets, lighting, and camera shots were created and executed in Unreal Engine. The actors’ likenesses were scanned as MetaHumans, their performances recorded using motion capture suits and their costumes created in Marvelous Designer.

“We set out to raise the bar for the quality of cinematic realism that can be achieved using cost-effective, virtual production technology,” said Ira Fuchs, the series’ writer/producer. “Up until now, no virtually generated cinematic experience created using these tools and techniques has achieved this level of sophistication. To date, the best-in-class virtual cinematic production is Blue Dot, produced a year ago by Epic Games with a substantially larger budget. Our intent was to exceed the excellent production values demonstrated in that work.”

According to Fuchs, the team had very specific design objects for the proof-of-concept with multiple characters wearing intricate period costumes interacting with each other, as well as physical objects, within highly-detailed sets. In addition, the emotional dynamics of the characters had to infuse the scenes.

The technology is in its early stages, but its capabilities for rendering high-quality photo-realistic cinematics are advancing rapidly. Even with the limitations encountered, in addition to budget and resource constraints, the proof-of-concept unquestionably demonstrates the viability of using this methodology to produce scripted cinematic narratives, according to the production team.

In addition, the team claims this project proves that photo-realistic cinematics can be produced for significantly less cost than conventional methods. That’s a game-changing paradigm shift for cinematic storytellers, making it possible for them to actualize their vision. According to Fuchs, the cost to produce a period piece episode using conventional methods ranges between $5M and $7M dollars. “We can produce the pilot episode virtually for a small fraction of that, which is what our next step is,” he concluded.

Click here to watch The Pale‘s proof of concept video.