Introduction

High-end watch commercials demand exceptional visual precision—from flawless lighting and reflection to cinematic control and consistency. Achieving these results on traditional film sets can be costly, time-consuming, and technically limiting. The emergence of LED-based virtual workflows has made it possible to produce cinematic results with far greater control. This case study explores how a luxury timepiece ad was executed through a virtual production ad shoot, using LED walls, real-time rendering, and camera tracking to simulate elegant settings while capturing refined details with accuracy.

Objective

The primary objective was to showcase the luxury watch in a refined environment with immaculate lighting and dynamic reflections, while avoiding location-related constraints. The team aimed to achieve visual depth, color harmony, and precision focus on the timepiece through a virtual production ad shoot method that offered full control from pre-production to post.

Challenges

Shooting a watch ad involves managing complex lighting to highlight materials such as brushed metal, sapphire glass, and polished bezels. Environmental inconsistencies in outdoor or on-location shoots can distort reflections or introduce undesired highlights. Traditional chroma key workflows also struggle with reflective surfaces. To overcome these issues, the production opted for a virtual production ad shoot using LED panels to create a believable backdrop and accurate real-world lighting response.

Execution Process

1. Pre-Visualization
The production began with detailed previsualization using Unreal Engine. Every lens angle, light direction, and tracking movement was planned digitally. The virtual environment was mocked up with key compositions, ensuring that reflections would fall naturally on the curved surfaces of the watch. This pre-production phase gave the entire crew—from the lighting department to the director—a clear and unified vision.

2. Asset Creation
The digital environment, including elements like sleek architectural interiors or a golden-hour skyline, was built with high-fidelity textures and HDR lighting. Special care was taken to integrate dynamic elements like soft shadows and surface reflections to interact naturally with the product. These assets were displayed on the LED wall during the virtual production ad shoot, providing a believable and cinematic digital backdrop.

3. LED Setup & Technical Integration
A semi-enclosed LED wall rig was installed, forming a wide wraparound around the set. The camera system was calibrated with real-time motion tracking, feeding its movements back into Unreal Engine. This ensured that as the camera moved, the environment displayed on the LED wall shifted accurately with perspective. The virtual production ad shoot setup gave filmmakers total control over background motion, lighting consistency, and product interaction with its digital surroundings.

4. Virtual Scouting
Before the shoot, the creative team used VR scouting tools to walk through the digital environment. They evaluated key visual factors such as background placement, lighting temperature, and object proximity. This allowed the team to fine-tune every visual decision in advance and ensure that the product’s metallic finishes would respond beautifully to the surrounding environment.

5. In-Camera Capture
The luxury watch was placed on a sleek pedestal against the LED backdrop. Lighting was provided by a combination of practical lights and environmental cues from the LED wall. As a result, the watch glass reflected realistic skies, soft gradients, and environmental architecture—all captured live in-camera. This approach, central to a successful virtual production ad shoot, ensured that every frame had the right balance of realism and polish without heavy VFX dependence.

6. Post-Production
With the majority of visual effects finalized during filming, post-production was limited to minor grading and finishing touches. There was no need for extensive compositing, rotoscoping, or digital reconstruction. The footage maintained optical clarity, product focus, and high-end brand tone—all essential for luxury advertising.

Conclusion

This luxury watch commercial highlights the power of a well-orchestrated virtual production ad shoot. By using LED walls, virtual environments, and real-time rendering tools, the production team created an elegant, controlled setting that elevated the brand’s visual presence. The streamlined workflow eliminated outdoor risks, optimized shooting time, and ensured exceptional reflective detail on the product—all within a studio-controlled environment.

Key Takeaways

• A virtual production ad shoot offers unmatched control over lighting and reflections
• LED environments produce natural interaction with high-end product materials
• Previsualization streamlines collaboration and artistic alignment
• In-camera capture reduces the need for post-production corrections
• Ideal for reflective, detail-heavy products like watches and jewelry
• Delivers cinematic results without the unpredictability of on-location shoots