Orbital Studios, the virtual production powerhouse behind Netflix's Nemesis and FX's upcoming The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, has secured a permanent base at Television City in Los Angeles. The company, founded in 2020, specializes in providing art teams, tools, software, and pipelines designed to streamline virtual production workflows and reduce costs.
The move signals growing confidence in virtual production as a mainstream filmmaking technology rather than a novelty. Television City, the historic Lucille Ball-founded studio complex, represents a significant validation for Orbital's approach to democratizing access to LED volume stages and in-camera VFX tools. By embedding at one of LA's most iconic backlots, Orbital positions itself at the heart of where major streamer and cable content gets produced.
Virtual production has evolved from pandemic-era necessity to creative standard across prestige television. Netflix, FX, and other major platforms have made LED volume stages central to their production strategies, reducing post-production timelines and rendering costs. Companies like Industrial Light and Magic and Lux Machina pioneered the space, but Orbital's model targets mid-tier producers seeking accessible entry points into the technology without massive infrastructure investment.
The Television City location matters beyond symbolism. The studio complex attracts A-list producers, directors, and technical crews operating at the highest production levels. Proximity to established talent pipelines and existing sound stages creates operational advantages for Orbital clients. For a company founded during pandemic lockdowns, the physical space represents maturation and permanence in an industry that still views virtual production with cautious optimism.
FX's The Drop: A Snowfall Saga continuation indicates Orbital's credibility with premium cable. The company has moved beyond experimental projects into mainstream scripted drama production. Netflix's Nemesis demonstrates similar traction with the streamer that essentially bankrolled the virtual production explosion through