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So you want to make a movie in Unreal Engine?

Writer's picture: Tom MikotaTom Mikota

Updated: Feb 3



Unreal Engine is a game-changer for filmmaking. Real-time rendering slashes render times by thousands of times, allowing filmmakers to visualize scenes early, make confident decisions, and even edit their movies inside Unreal in real-time.

For small, experienced teams, this workflow is revolutionary. But at scale, Unreal Engine can become a nightmare if studios aren’t prepared.


The Three Biggest Challenges Studios Face


Problem #1: File Management Chaos

Unreal lets you load entire worlds in one place. But without strict naming conventions, finding assets—like the correct camera—can take months. I’ve seen teams rebuild entire shots from scratch simply because no one could track down the original files.


Problem #2: Version Control Nightmares

Perforce is Unreal’s best version control system… but artists hate it. Studios typically need one TD for every seven artists just to help them sync files. Otherwise, it’s often faster to redo work than fight Perforce. I’ve seen teams waste months because they couldn’t locate the right version of a file.


Problem #3: Software & Process Compatibility

There are thousands of ways to crash Unreal when importing data from other software. Debugging every issue, across every major DCC, is what kills most studios attempting animated films in Unreal. I’ve watched companies burn through $5-10M and still fail.


At the end of the day, you’re only as fast as the slowest part of your pipeline—and there are dozens of production tasks in animated filmmaking.


The Hidden Challenge of Making Movies at Scale

Every department in a studio is a potential failure point. To keep production running smoothly, studios need dozens of interconnected systems—but the film industry hasn’t even named or standardized them.

Instead, studios just say, "We need a pipeline," and hire 5, 10, or even 15 pipeline developers without actually knowing what needs to be built.

I learned this the hard way.


From Avatar to Automation

On Avatar, I built the look dev department, combining shading and textures. Our systems worked so well that I added 10 artists with no film experience—just a painting background—and they delivered at a world-class level.


I thought I could apply the same logic to entire productions. I was wrong.

Even after working on Avatar, I was just reaching the “Peak of Mount Stupid” on the Dunning-Kruger Effect.



Over the years, I worked at small studios, started a pipeline startup, and even built one of the first remote production data centers back in 2011—before cloud was mainstream.


Then I took seven years off from the industry to refine my approach while building a virtual production stage at FSU’s film school.


I ran experiments—like automating an entire short film, rebuilding it from Maya to Unreal Engine with a single button press.


After working on multiple Unreal Engine productions and large-scale pipelines, I can now finally quantify what’s needed to run animated films efficiently at scale.

And the truth is—most studios aren’t even close.


The 30+ Systems Required to Run an Unreal Production at Scale

Studios think they need “a pipeline,” but in reality, they need all of this:


Core Infrastructure & Version Control

Clearly Defined Software Stack – Establishing which tools are used and how they integrate

Custom Tools – Pipeline tools tailored to production needs

Git for Code Version Control – Organizing and tracking development efforts

CI/CD Systems – Continuous integration & deployment of pipeline tools

File Management Systems – Enforcing structured folder hierarchies

User Workspaces – Allowing artists to work independently without corrupting published files

Traditional Version Control for Assets – Ensuring easy access to previous versions

Publish Systems – Defining where “approved files” should live

Perforce Integration – Seamlessly integrating Perforce to remove friction for artists



Production & Task Management

Project Management Systems – Keeping productions on schedule

Full Shotgrid (Flow) Integration – Ensuring all artist work is logged and trackable

Excel Spreadsheet Integration – Automating manual data tracking

Task Management UI – Presenting tasks in a way that’s intuitive for artists

Artist GUI – A simple, visual interface for artists to interact with the pipeline

One-Click Reviews – Ensuring supervisors review work at least twice per day



Automation & Workflow Optimization

Render Management Systems – Streamlining farm rendering

Validation API – Checking files, settings, and data throughout production

Custom Menu API – Allowing teams to create and modify menus across all software

Universal DCC Plugin Architecture – Supporting quick plugin development for:

  • Maya

  • Houdini

  • Blender

  • Photoshop

  • Nuke

  • Substance Painter


Editorial Plugin API – Syncing editorial data across:

  • Adobe Premiere

  • Avid

  • Resolve

  • Maya

  • Unreal Engine

  • Blender



Production Task & Workflow Automation

Production Task API – Standardizing how tasks are structured

Workflow API – The foundation for all automation systems

Developer GUI – Enabling simple, modular tool creation

Automated Systems for Every Phase of a Production Task:

  • Start Automation – Automating initial setup (folder creation, file defaults)

  • Build Automation – Handling in-app assembly of dependencies

  • Render Automation – Custom pre-render setup for each department

  • Review Automation – Uploading and tagging files for creative review

  • Refresh Automation – Syncing updated assets into artist workflows

  • Publish Automation – Managing programmable steps at the final approval stage



Scene & Asset Standardization

Unified Shading System – Ensuring shaders work seamlessly across software

Internal Scene Description Format – Defining structured scene data for internal use

USD Implementation – Supporting USD for studios that need it (even if it’s incomplete across DCCs)



Scalability & Remote Work Support

Per Project Pipeline Management – Supporting unique pipelines per project

Built-in Secure File Syncing for Remote Teams

Cross-Platform Support (Mac, Windows, Linux)

Easy Installers for Remote Artists



What Happens When You Have All of This?

At this point, it’s like magic.

  • You can design a complete, custom pipeline to the specifications of your supervisors before production even starts

  • You can support teams efficiently throughout the entire process

  • You can add new features and optimizations mid-production without breaking workflows

  • Developers, supervisors, and artists can easily maintain and expand the pipeline


Most artists spend 80% of their time wrestling with production inefficiencies instead of creating art.


With these systems in place, your team actually gets to focus on making the film.


Unreal Engine is the Future of Animated Films—But Only If Studios Are Ready


Without this infrastructure, Unreal Engine at scale will cripple a studio — I’ve seen it happen firsthand.

But with the right systems, Unreal can revolutionize animated filmmaking.

The difference between failure and success? Pipeline. It's time that we started really thinking about process and infrastructure in animated film making. The opportunities are there.



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