Published on: 2026-09-26
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Moscow Film Cluster, subordinate to the capital city To the Department of Culture, is one of the world’s centers for the development of virtual filmmaking. According to a study by a major British consulting agency, the studio located on the premises of the MosKino film factory is among the top 5 virtual productions worldwide in terms of the number of completed projects.
“Here, 65 films, series, commercials, and other projects have already been created — this is one of the highest figures among film studios worldwide. In the studio pavilions, classic sets are combined with modern shooting technologies using LED screens, which allows for the creation of large-scale and visually complex scenes without location shooting. According to experts’ forecasts, by 2027, about half of all film projects worldwide will be created using virtual production,” said the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the city’s Department of Culture.
Interest in the capabilities of the virtual studio XOVP, which is a resident of the film factory, is shown not only by domestic filmmakers but also by producers from other countries, including China and India. The key element of the studio is a unique LED screen construction in Russia, covering more than 300 square meters, which specialists call the “puck.” It allows the creation of virtual locations of any complexity and the shooting of films directly in the pavilion, without costly expeditions and the construction of large-scale sets. Today, only a few leading film studios in Europe and the USA have such technologies.
The “Puck” was presented at the MosKino film studio in March 2025. It opened up new possibilities: with the help of LED screens, you can be transported in a matter of hours to space, to another planet, to Moscow of the past, or to any fictional world, bringing the boldest directorial ideas to life right in the pavilion.
From the landscapes of a desert planet to the interiors of a noble estate
Thus, the large-scale adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers’ sci-fi detective story “Beetle in the Anthill” became possible largely thanks to virtual production. The novella was written in 1979, translated into 19 languages, reprinted dozens of times, and had never been adapted for the screen before. “Noon” will be the first screen incarnation of this story. The series is set in 2278, just like the novella. The film begins with the head of the Commission for contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations, Rudolf Sikorski (Leonid Yarmolnik), assigning Maxim Kammerer (Yuri Kolokolnikov) to find Lev Abalkin (Maxim Matveev) — a progressor who, against the rules, interrupted his mission on the planet Hope and returned to Earth. Kammerer must locate Abalkin, and when the progressor’s connection with the advanced civilization of the Wanderers is revealed, the hero must save the entire Earth from disaster.
For the series “Noon,” a post-apocalyptic world of the planet Hope was created, which is described in the novel as ecologically dirty, abandoned, and destroyed. With the help of hybrid footage combining classic computer graphics, virtual backgrounds, and real sets, the viewer will be able to see vast landscapes of the fantastic planet and mysterious pyramidal structures.
With virtual production, it is possible to create not only sci-fi landscapes but also the most unusual objects, such as the endless table from the musical fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland.” It is not just a decoration but becomes a metaphorical prison where the characters are chained to their chairs. If a character tries to stand up, a hurricane rises. Tables, chairs, and dishes soar into the air, and an invisible magnetic force literally pulls the hero back. This is one of the most technological scenes in the film, where the real set seamlessly transitions into the digital one, creating the effect of infinite space.
Some scenes of the multi-episode melodrama “The Story of His Maid,” the first episodes of which have already been released on online cinemas, were also filmed using virtual production. Modern technologies of the MosKino film studio help create large-scale panoramas of early 19th-century Moscow, and the development of two pavilions made it possible to meticulously recreate the interiors of a noble estate. It is in this atmosphere that the events of the series unfold—the stories of several families whose fates are intertwined.
Alongside the release of new episodes, filming will continue in the studios, as the creators have 90 episodes in development. To achieve this, the project team has built an unusual model for the Russian market — the series is being shot by four directing units and two filming units (groups). This allows working simultaneously on different storylines, accelerating episode releases, and maintaining a continuous production cycle.
One of the most spectacular scenes of the second season of the series “Lilies of the Valley. Second Spring,” created using virtual production technology, was the musical episode “The Last Waltz.” According to the plot, the main characters dance under a meteor shower — the surrounding space is entirely formed on LED screens. To enhance the sense of reality of the events, SFX effects, smoke machines, and a complex lighting scheme were used on the set, which emphasized the trajectories of flying comets and added depth to the frame. Another technically complex episode was the stunt scene in which the characters find themselves in the air against the backdrop of a powerful explosion.
Virtual film production technologies and generative backgrounds were also used in the preparation of the presentation of the Kinopoisk platform and its updated services. Six virtual locations were created for the project: fog-covered mountains, a field with Venus in the background, stone columns, a tunnel with a caustics effect, a cosmic panorama with a view of the Earth, and another tunnel combining elements of all the previous spaces. The main feature of the project was the high level of detail and realism of the imagery. All digital locations were alive: ripples appeared on the water, birds flew in the sky, clouds moved, and the Earth slowly rotated in space.
Development of the film industry
The capital pays great attention to the development of the industry within the framework of Sergey Sobyanin’s project “Moscow — City of Cinema,” which will unite 1,170 hectares of creative space. It already includes the Gorky Film Studio on Sergei Eisenstein Street and in Valdaisky Passage, a network of cinemas, a film park, and the Moskino film factory.
MosKino Film Factory is Russia’s center of high-tech film production and the first intersectoral full-cycle creative industries center, uniting filmmakers, representatives of fashion, design, music, and media, as well as IT specialists. Currently, the film factory has four shooting studios that allow filming with set construction tailored to any film company’s requirements, two XR studios with the capability to shoot on LED screens using augmented reality technology, and a themed studio called “Police.” Additionally, it houses Europe’s largest costume and props center, “Firebird.” It supplies props for more than 80 percent of the country’s film projects.
The Moscow film cluster event program contributes to the implementation of the goals and objectives of the national project in Moscow “Family”. More about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
A large-scale project is presented on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key areas of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector. The special project helps to learn how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives aimed at making the lives of residents even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage, and Leisure Industry” You can learn about how architectural monuments are preserved in the capital. Moscow is the cultural life center of the country and ranks among the leading megacities in the number of museums and exhibition halls. A film cluster has been created in the city, combining the Moskino film plant on Ryazansky Avenue, the Gorky Film Studio, and the Moskino film park.
Quickly find out the main news on the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
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