Those About to Die wins Best Virtual Production in Broadcast Tech & Innovation Awards

The awards celebrated talent and innovation behind the most outstanding broadcast productions of the past year, and we couldn’t be more proud to see Those About to Die recognised for its technical and creative achievements. Adam Smith, Executive Producer and Tim Doubleday, Head of On-Set Virtual Production attended the award ceremony to support the team.

Directed by Roland Emmerich, the Apple TV+ series resurrects Ancient Rome in an epic-gladiatorial retelling. Dimension and DNEG 360 provided 1,800 final pixel in-camera VFX shots over a 108-day shoot on an advanced LED setup at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

Emmerich’s vision was nothing short of photorealism and an accurate depiction of Ancient Rome. Our team enhanced an accurate 3D model of Ancient Rome in Unreal Engine with full 3D builds and 2D and 2.5 video plates of real-world architectural sites such as the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, and Mount Vesuvius. These video plates were rendered in pre-production – typically a step taken by VFX in post-production – meaning the scenes could be shot entirely in-camera with only 40 shots needing touch-ups or fixes in-post.

One of the standout technical breakthroughs was the use of wide-angle lenses, which traditionally present challenges on a virtual production stage due to pixelation. Our team developed a technique to turn off the inner frustum and capture the whole wall at full resolution. We also provided volumetric virtual crowds with in-camera visual effects, capturing 90 actors on Dimension and Mark Roberts Motion Control’s Polymotion Truck, a mobile volumetric stage, generating a crowd simulation of a packed 80,000-person Colosseum.

From wide-angle lens innovations to stadium-sized volumetric crowds and a realtime recreation of Ancient Rome, we provided high fidelity and accelerated the production process for improved creative flexibility. We’re incredibly proud of our Those About to Die team for receiving this recognition from the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards – here’s to more innovation in 2025!

Take a look at more behind-the-scenes in our Those About to Die case study.