Orbital Studios moves LED walls to Television City Lot
Orbital Studios relocated its LED walls to Television City’s CBS lot, gaining access to bigger soundstages and a permanent LED volume for virtual production. This shift underscores the growing industr
Orbital Studios has moved its high-tech LED walls to Television City, the historic CBS lot on Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue. The virtual production comp
Read Full Story at Variety →Why This Matters
The migration of Orbital Studios to Television City’s CBS lot signals a pivotal moment in the entertainment industry’s pivot toward hybrid production models. By securing access to a permanent LED volume, the studio is betting on virtual production as a long-term solution—not just a pandemic-era stopgap—to slash costs, accelerate filming schedules, and meet the soaring demand for high-quality visual effects. This move could redefine the competitive landscape for production studios, forcing competitors to either invest in similar infrastructure or risk being left behind in an increasingly tech-driven market.
Background Context
Television City’s CBS lot has long been a hub for broadcast and streaming production, but its recent expansion into virtual production reflects a strategic shift by legacy studios to diversify beyond traditional soundstages. Orbital Studios, known for its work on high-profile projects like *The Mandalorian*, has been at the forefront of adopting LED volume technology, which reduces the need for post-production VFX work by capturing digital backgrounds in-camera. The relocation also underscores the growing consolidation of production resources under major studio umbrellas, as traditional film lots adapt to the financial and logistical pressures of modern filmmaking.
What Happens Next
In the short term, Orbital Studios’ move will likely attract other virtual production teams to Television City, potentially transforming the lot into a de facto hub for tech-forward filmmaking in Los Angeles. Competitors like Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures may accelerate their own LED volume projects to avoid losing projects to CBS-owned facilities. However, questions remain about whether smaller studios and independent filmmakers will face barriers to accessing these advanced resources, risking a two-tiered production ecosystem. The long-term success of this model may hinge on whether the cost savings from virtual production outweigh the hefty upfront investments in infrastructure.
Bigger Picture
This shift is part of a broader industry-wide reckoning with the limitations of traditional filmmaking, where rising budgets and VFX delays have become unsustainable. The growing embrace of virtual production mirrors the tech industry’s influence over Hollywood, with companies like Epic Games (Unreal Engine) and NVIDIA now wielding outsize power in shaping production pipelines. As studios increasingly prioritize speed-to-market and cost efficiency, the lines between film, television, and video game development are blurring—a trend that could
