Abstract: DIORAMA STAGE is a virtual film production studio built in Unreal Engine that enables plate-driven narrative cinematics: illustrated mattes, stylized stills, and short video layers arranged as a physically shootable 3D diorama. Instead of mesh-heavy environment production, creators assemble scenes using a standardized BG/MG/FG stage grammar (cyclorama plates, midground flats, foreground occluders, atmosphere layers), then shoot them with consistent lens, lighting, and Sequencer shot structure. The system provides Sequencer-native “plate actors” (image/video, symbol cards, character cards) with keyframable controls (opacity, edge softness, grade trims, subtle motion drift), plus a “shot factory” that auto-instantiates camera presets, look presets, light rigs, and render settings optimized for stylized illustration. DIORAMA STAGE formalizes classic multiplane animation and matte-painting logic into a modern realtime cinema pipeline that prioritizes stylization, narration, and edit rhythm, allowing filmmakers to iterate story beats faster than asset builds. Funding supports the v1.0 template/toolkit, documentation, and a short proof film (“The Jelly Bean” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1920) demonstrating long-form continuity and reuse across multiple scenes.

The problem we’re solving

• Real-time filmmaking in Unreal is booming—but narrative creators still hit the same choke points: mesh-heavy worldbuilding is time-expensive, skill-intensive, and often unnecessary for story-first shorts/series.
• Existing “2.5D/matte” techniques inside Unreal are ad hoc: hard to standardize, hard to reuse, and rarely packaged as a studio-ready system.
• The industry is saturated with “more pixels, less voice.” Many creators want a pipeline that privileges stylization, narration, editorial rhythm, and composition over raw asset density.
• DIORAMA STAGE is a deliberate pivot: fewer meshes, more cinema.