May 13 - 18, 2026 | Cannes, France
Village Innovation, Pantiero
Orbital Studios Leads Virtual Production at Cannes 2026
Orbital Studios joins Cannes Next as the lead virtual production partner at the Village Innovation, running a full week of programming for filmmakers, technologists, and industry decision-makers. From adoption and accessibility to AI-assisted previs and global workforce development, our sessions cover where VP is headed and how to get there.
in partnership with
Cannes Next Innovation Village Program
Cannes Next Innovation Village Program
Virtual Production 2026: Adoption, Access, and What's Next?
📆 May 14, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 GMT+2
📍 Village Innovation (Pantiero)
Where does virtual production actually stand in 2026? Orbital Studios CEO A.J. Wedding opens the day with a comprehensive look at adoption, access, and what's coming next, from LED volumes and Unreal Engine to Orbital's latest workflows in 2.5D depth creation, rendered driving plates, and 3D builds. Speakers
Presented by:
Brian Nitzkin - VP of Business Development, Orbital Studios
A. J. Wedding - CEO & Founder, Orbital Studios
The Filmmaker's Previsualization Toolkit: AI, Gaussian Splatting, and Unreal
📆 May 14, 2026, 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+2
📍Village Innovation (Pantiero)
Filmmaker Laura Coover walks through the previs workflow she uses for her own work, from generating concept imagery with ComfyUI and training custom LoRAs on a local machine, to capturing real locations with Gaussian splatting and leveraging them in Unreal Engine.
This session looks at how creatives are actually engaging with AI. Where it fits in the process, where it doesn't, and what it looks like to work with intention inside a technology that's reshaping the industry in real time.
Presented by:
Laura Coover - Filmmaker & Director of Marketing, Orbital Studios
Powered by Orbital: A Global Partnership Initiative
📆 May 15, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 GMT+2
📍Village Innovation (Pantiero)
An inside look at how virtual production can be integrated into existing stages and facilities, without the need to build from the ground up. This session focuses on practical deployment models, real-world workflows, and how teams are expanding their capabilities in place.
Presented by:
Brian Nitzkin - VP of Business Development, Orbital Studios
Building a Global Workforce: Presented by Orbital Studios
A look at how virtual production capability is actually built in the field. Drawing from Orbital’s on-the-ground deployments, this session explores how mobile infrastructure and local crew training come together in practice, and what it takes to leave meaningful, lasting capability behind in the regions where production is happening.
Presented by:
Brian Nitzkin - VP of Business Development, Orbital Studios
Laura Coover - Filmmaker & Director of Marketing, Orbital Studios
📆 May 15, 2026, 12:00 - 13:00 GMT+2
📍Village Innovation (Pantiero)
Featured Partner Sessions • Limited Seating
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Local Workflows in the Studio: AI, ComfyUI, and More
Wednesday, May 13
11:00 AM - 12:00 PMDell Technologies & Orbital Studios
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Screen Ireland | Orbital Studios: Co-Productions & Innovation Tools
Thursday, May 14
1:00 PM - 2:00Screen Ireland
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Latin America | Orbital Studios: Co-Productions and Innovation Tools
Thursday, May 14
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM -
The Remote Location Problem: How Gaussian Splatting Changes Everything
Friday, May 15
2:00 PM - 3:00Volinga & Orbital Studios
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Grand Caneria, Spain | Orbital Studios: Co-Productions & Innovation Tools
Friday, May 15
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Spainish Film Commission -
Belgium | Orbital Studios: Co-Productions & Innovation Tools
Saturday, May 16
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Screen Brussels & Screen Flanders -
Pixel Kinetics Alliance & Orbital Studios: The Innovation Bridge Between the US and Europe
Saturday, May 16
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Book time with us.
Schedule a meeting with the Orbital Studios team.
Meet the Team at Cannes
Here’s who you can look forward to meeting at the show.
Brian Nitzkin
VP of Business Development
A. J. Wedding
Founder & CEO
Laura Coover
Director of Marketing