When WWE decided to take their production to the next level, they didn’t just want an upgrade - they wanted an entirely new 30,000-square-foot facility with five state-of-the-art studios, including a cutting-edge virtual production stage at its core.
The Studios at WWE
Gone are the days of green screen
Trusted by both WWE and AbelCine, we leveraged our expertise to bring WWE’s virtual production stage to life. Using our ideate, create, execute process, we designed, installed, and integrated the LED volume within six months.
During the initial phase, we worked closely with WWE to align with their production needs.
“We wanted to create convenience for the talent, and capitalize being in one location at one time and maximize the time with talent without having to scout locations. With virtual production you get the opportunity to previz - take virtual tours of what you see on set," said Russ Kornstein, SVP, On-Air Promotions at WWE.
Given the limited space in the studio, we designed a medium-sized LED volume with XR set extension capabilities, allowing for larger virtual environments when needed. To enhance production flexibility, we introduced two mobile LED carts that can serve as additional lighting sources or be relocated to other studios, transforming them into supplementary virtual production spaces.
We used Unreal Engine to previsualize the studio, providing the production team at WWE with a detailed preview of what the space would look like before construction even began.
In the create phase, our team visited the site to scan the space and develop precise CAD drawings of the LED volume, ensuring everything was accurately scaled. With the design in place, we began assembling the server rack, making sure all the hardware powering the virtual production stage was prepared and ready for seamless integration.
Finally, during the execution phase, we collaborated with our trusted partners to source all the necessary equipment and establish an installation schedule that aligned with the building’s construction timeline.
WWE’s longstanding relationship with Sony made their latest LED VERONA panels and the VENICE 2 full-frame digital cinema camera the natural choice for the project. AbelCine handled the design and installation of the camera and lighting systems across the studios.
Our team and partners came together on site to integrate the LED system with Disguise media servers, camera tracking systems, and real-time rendering engines. We turned to Disguise’s VX4 and RX II servers, along with RenderStream, to ensure seamless playback and the flexibility to handle content of any size, format, or complexity.
We optimized the LED configuration, adjusting color profiles, brightness, and pixel pitch alignment for top-tier performance, and calibrated the system for seamless set extension. After loading test content to check for moiré patterns, latency issues and camera responsiveness, we resolved any visual inconsistencies.
With the stage now fully calibrated and optimized, WWE was ready to dive into production with an LED Volume that is set to deliver stunning, real-time results.
“You're going to be limited only by your creative ideas, really. Because we can now do anything. There’s nothing you have to do other than apply really nice color correction in post. Gone are the days of green screen," said Russ Kornstein, SVP, On-Air Promotions at WWE.