Eventually, in 2016, Jacobson and his son made one of the prototypes for a virtual production stage in their shed, using a set of LED screens.
Other filmmakers had also caught on to the idea though, and in 2018 an Australian cinematographer, Greig Fraser, used the technology to film the Star Wars franchise spin-off series, The Mandalorian (released 2019).
They installed huge LED walls linked to powerful computers that ran Unreal Engine gaming software (used for Fortnite, among others).
Miles Perkins, industry manager of film and TV for Epic Games and maker of the Unreal Engine, estimated that there were around 300 stages by October 2022, increased from only three in 2019.
[citation needed] Industry organizations including SMPTE, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the American Society of Cinematographers have started initiatives to support the development of OSVP.