The Third Floor, Inc.

THE THIRD FLOOR is a digital visualization and virtual production studio founded in Los Angeles in 2004. It grew from a group of previsualization artists who collaborated on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, developing animated shot-planning approaches for complex live-action filmmaking.

The studio supports filmmakers and production teams from early concepts through on-set and editorial workflows. Its work spans previsualization, pitch visualization, postvisualization, technical visualization, camera layout, virtual art departments, virtual location scouting, motion-capture planning, and in-camera visual-effects preparation. Real-time production in Unreal Engine is a core part of its approach, alongside full-CGI, game-engine-based animation production.

Production capabilities

• Digital scene blocking, editorial previs, and rapid camera staging
• On-set techvis and live compositing support
• Unreal Engine asset development and virtual art department workflows
• Motion-capture and stunt-choreography planning
• Visualization for themed attractions, interactive experiences, commercials, and game cinematics
• Full-pipeline stylized CG feature animation, production, and rendering

Its markets include feature films, television and streaming series, themed entertainment, video games, and advertising. The company’s credits include visualization work on Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Dune, Gravity, The Mandalorian, House of the Dragon, and Game of Thrones, as well as themed attractions including Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

The studio has expanded its real-time practice beyond planning and production support into final animation. In 2025, it produced the fully animated feature Predator: Killer of Killers, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and co-directed by co-founder Josh Wassung. The company remains active as a visualization, virtual-production, and real-time animation business.