15 Years of RTBF Weather Broadcasting with Dreamwall: The Virtual Studio Adventure in Marcinelle

For the past 15 years, Belgians have been starting their afternoons with a weather forecast produced in a virtual studio in Marcinelle. Behind the scenes of La Une, the team at Dreamwall, a Belgian specialist in audiovisual production, brings to life a daily weather bulletin combining cutting-edge technology with a human touch. Here is the story of an extraordinary creative and technical adventure.

It all began in Charleroi, in the former Dupuis warehouses in Marcinelle. Keywall was founded in 2010 as a subsidiary specialized in producing television programs in virtual studios before later merging with Dreamwall. The founding idea was both simple and ambitious: to offer television broadcasters a complete production chain, from graphic set design to final broadcasting.

The RTBF was one of the first partners to believe in this model. From the very beginning, the public broadcaster’s weather forecasts were produced in the virtual studios of Marcinelle. Dreamwall produces up to twenty weather bulletins per day for La Une, TV5Monde, and several local television channels. A large 400 m² stage hosts other audiovisual productions, while a dedicated studio operates continuously for weather forecasting.

It is also a remarkable industrial and creative success story for the Charleroi region. Under one roof, Dreamwall brings together graphic designers, technicians, directors, and developers, all driven by the same conviction: imaging technologies have a bright future in Belgium. The RTBF weather forecast, a daily rendez-vous for millions of viewers, remains one of the company’s most enduring showcases.

In March 2013, the collaboration with the RTBF reached a new milestone. A genuine program dedicated to weather, the environment, and climate was launched: broadcast every day at 12:40 p.m. on La Une, just before the 1:00 p.m. news, its ambition was to tell the story of weather differently. The original concept, driven by Jean-Charles Beaubois, head of the RTBF Weather Department and the program’s first presenter, was a strong one: a positive, emotional approach to weather that connects with people.

The production is based on a workflow optimized for virtual studio broadcasting: a single recording session each week, during which five to six episodes are prepared and filmed in Dreamwall’s green key studio, with an experienced crew of nine to ten people. This compact format ensures high efficiency without compromising on on-air quality.

Over time, the program grew in popularity, surpassing 2,000 episodes. In November 2021, it switched to live broadcasting 200 times a year, making it possible to react in real time to weather events, integrate remote guests via video calls, and produce special editions, such as during the devastating floods of summer 2021. In January 2023, the show adopted a new title, “Quel Temps pour la Planète?”, along with a new visual identity, greener and more committed, reflecting today’s climate challenges.

One of Dreamwall’s greatest strengths in audiovisual production is its constant drive to push beyond what already works. Since 2013, the virtual set of the weather program has undergone several transformations: 3D representations of the Earth, augmented reality weather tools, and dynamic environments capable of switching instantly from the Belgian coastline to the forests of the Ardennes.

In December 2021, Dreamwall crossed a new technological frontier in virtual weather broadcasting: a digital avatar presented the forecast instead of a human presenter. Completed in just two months, the project mobilized the company’s full range of expertise: weather data management, filming in a green key virtual studio, motion capture, and integration into the Unreal Engine game engine. The result was a first in the history of hybrid weather broadcasting and aligned with the global rise of virtual production technologies.

This ability to innovate lies at the heart of Dreamwall’s identity. The same technologies used for weather broadcasts are also employed to produce augmented reality sports shows, TV opening sequences, and virtual scenography for live events. In many ways, the RTBF weather forecast serves as the daily laboratory of Dreamwall’s Belgian audiovisual expertise.

Fifteen years of RTBF weather broadcasting represent a relationship of trust built forecast after forecast, program after program. It is also the reflection of a company that has grown without ever losing its identity: creative, technical, Belgian, and proud to be so.

Today, Dreamwall is a recognized player in international audiovisual production based in Marcinelle. Its projects span animation, augmented reality for live sports broadcasting, videomapping, and post-production. Yet the midday weather forecast on La Une remains one of the strongest symbols of what a passionate team can achieve, day after day.

While clouds have often taken center stage on screen, it is clearly the sun that shines over this story: 15 years of RTBF weather broadcasting in a virtual studio, and the desire to keep inspiring viewers whatever the weather.

Would you like to discover our projects or collaborate with our teams? Get in touch with us, we would be delighted to explore together what we can create.