When the opening shot of Severance Season 2 premiered on Apple TV+, the team at Form Studios was instantly captivated. The single-take, surreal hallway spin, executed with seamless precision, was not just a feat of storytelling—it was a showcase of production mastery. And for a studio like Form Studios, specializing in virtual production and motion control, it posed an irresistible question:
*Could we recreate that shot using our LED volume, Unreal Engine, and cinema robot tech?*
So, we decided to find out. The result? A half-day shoot, a lot of gear, a full YouTube how-to breakdown, and TikTok and Instagram social virality.
Want to see the full recreation? Head over to Form Studios’ Virtual Production Insider YouTube Channel, a channel dedicated to virtual production education, and check out the full BTS.
The opening sequence of Severance S2 E1 blew us away with its fluidity and mood. From the subtle dolly zoom inside the elevator to a complete 360° wraparound, it was clear a cinema robot was involved. Fortunately, at Form Studios, we use one every day—specifically, our C20 cinema robot from SISU.
From there, we layered in more tools: an LED wall for in-camera visual effects (ICVFX), a turntable for 360° rotation, and a Zeiss 28–80mm compact zoom to match the lensing. The dolly zoom—a forward camera move paired with a backward zoom—was critical in capturing the same emotional stretch Severance achieves when its characters shift from “outie” to “innie.”
A major challenge in using LED walls is directional limitation. You’re often locked into forward-facing shots. But Severance’s camera wraps fully around the subject. So we got creative. Our solution: rotate the actor, not the camera.
By placing host David Stapp on a motorized turntable and feeding positional data into Unreal Engine, we could rotate the virtual environment in sync with his movement. The camera stayed mostly static while the illusion of spinning came alive—all in real time.
Sean from our team handled the robot programming. By keyframing the original Severance camera moves, syncing them in Unreal, and feeding everything into the robot’s movement path, we ensured perfect timing. Thanks to years of experience with SISU’s tech, we pulled it all off in a half a day.
Early on, we expected to have to build the Severance environment from scratch. But then we found 3D artist Greg Rogers, who had already recreated a massive portion of the Severance universe in Unreal Engine as a passion project. His virtual set design—including the macro data refinement floor—was not only accurate but highly detailed, saving us an enormous amount of time.
Greg modeled about 90% of what you see in our recreation, including estimated character heights, floorplans, and lighting. Seeing his virtual environment projected onto our LED wall in-camera was one of the most satisfying moments of the shoot.
Even with a tight timeline and limited prep, we pulled off a faithful recreation. But could it be better? Absolutely. Here’s what we’d improve next time:
The goal of this recreation wasn’t to “beat” Severance. It was to show that today’s virtual production tools—robots, LED walls, game engines—can empower creators to tackle complex, cinematic sequences on shorter timelines and tighter budgets.
It also underlines a broader truth: there is no one “right” tool in production. The Severance team used a hybrid approach—practical sets, green screen, cinema robotics, and VFX stitching. Our version used ICVFX and in-camera Unreal scenes. The best method is the one that fits your workflow, budget, and story.
We’re incredibly grateful to the creators who inspired and enabled this project:
Recreating the Severance opener was part homage, part experiment—and all passion. Whether you’re a filmmaker, technologist, or just a fan of Defiant Jazz, we hope this breakdown inspires you to explore new storytelling possibilities with virtual production.
And if you haven’t yet… watch Severance on Apple TV+. Trust us, it’s worth every minute.