Green Screen vs. LED Walls Pros & Cons

Hi, this is Hank Carson, producer and DP here at the American Movie Company.

I’ve been in the film industry long enough to see technology completely reshape the way we create worlds on screen. 

From traditional chroma key to cutting-edge LED volumes, the tools at our disposal today are more powerful than ever. 

But with so much buzz around virtual production and XR filmmaking, there’s a big question every filmmaker needs to ask: Should I stick with green screen?   Or is it time to move to LED wall technology?

Let’s break down the pros and cons of each— so you can decide what’s best for your production.

Green Screen: The Classic Workhorse

We’ve been using green screens for decades, and for good reason. It’s a versatile, cost-effective way to create visual effects-heavy environments. But does it still hold up against modern LED volumes?

Pros:

Lower Cost, Greater Accessibility – Setting up a green screen is far cheaper than installing an LED volume. Most filmmakers already have access to this tech.

This is especially true if your virtual set uses the floor.  While LED Wall floors are more expensive, and most studios today don’t offer that option

 Post-Production Flexibility – You can replace the background at any time in post, tweak lighting, or completely change the environment without reshooting..

Cons:

Lighting Challenges & Spill – Lighting green screens properly takes skill. Green spill on actors and props can make clean keying difficult, especially with reflective surfaces.

Moving the camera on a green screen is usually not possible without the additional tech of cameramatch move-in post or the new live XR Technologies like XR Mirage.

More about XR Mirage and Unreal Engine advances in future posts.

Now, let’s talk about LED walls—the game-changer used in productions like The Mandalorian. These massive high-resolution screens display real-time environments powered by game engines like Unreal Engine, allowing filmmakers to capture final-pixel shots in-camera.

Pros:

Real-Time Environments and  Lighting – The LED walls act as a giant light source, making it easier to match the scene’s colors and reflections directly on actors and props.

Better Actor and  Camera Interaction – Actors can actually see and respond to the world around them, improving performances. 

Car shots. LED Walls are much better for shooting cars in motion.  The lighting changes realistically as the car moves through virtual environments.

Cons:

High Cost and Studio Requirements – LED volumes are expensive. The technology requires specialized crews, massive LED screens, and real-time render engines - putting it out of reach for many indie filmmakers.

Limited Scene Adjustability in Post – Unlike a green screen, where you can change environments later, LED walls lock in the scene on set. If you want a different background after filming, you may need a reshoot.

Technical Challenges – Moiré patterns, sync issues, and render lag can create problems. Not every crew has the expertise to get the most out of this technology.

Here at the American Movie Company, we have the experience to overcome these challenges.

Both green screen and LED walls can create Parallax ND Dynamic Camera Movements Using standard XR technology or the newer XR Mirage.  Both can create real-time depth and perspective changes when the camera moves, making the background feel truly immersive.

Which One Should Filmmakers Choose?

It depends on your project’s needs.