NantStudios, a virtual production studio based in El Segundo in Los Angeles County, CA, recently announced that the company, through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, has built two new LED volume/In-Camera VFX stages at Docklands Studios located in Melbourne, Australia, and will operate the world’s largest LED volume. The construction includes a 40’ tall radiused wall of 6,000 ROE Visual LED panels running 289’ on a 25,000 sq.-ft. stage and features a huge 59’ x 39’ x 10’ deep water tank in its center. In addition to the two LED volumes, there are three conventional stages as well.
Stage 1
The state-of-the-art volume will incorporate a fully articulating ceiling architecture that can be dynamically manipulated directly from proprietary 3D software to craft and shape light as an integrated component of typical production lighting. The dimensions of Stage 1 are 39’ High x 101’ Wide x 124’ Long. The facility will accommodate a large immersive set as well as multiple sets simultaneously using modular wall sections to partition smaller footprints built within its ample volume. They also have the ability to have roving LED walls to position as needed. “This LED volume utilizes 6,000 ROE Visual BP2V2 panels, which is being utilized in many Virtual Production stages globally,” says Frank Montero, Managing Director of ROE Visual US, Inc. “We have over 100,000 panels of Black Pearl 2 series LED panels being used for virtual production work all around the world. They are cinema-grade LED panels that bring a rich color accuracy and in-camera quality that industry experts have come to rely on.”
Stage 3
The second LED stage, Stage 3 stands 26’ tall and offers the same articulating LED ceiling design, perfect for small to medium-sized set pieces and moving vehicle scenes. This stage also has roving LED walls to position LED screens where needed. The dimensions of Stage 3 are 26’ High x 68’ Long x 56’ Wide, and this studio utilizes 2,000 ROE Ruby VP series LED panels. “The Ruby VP series was developed for film and broadcast applications including virtual production and features a 2.3mm 4-in-1 LED,” explains Montero. “Stronger, less reflection, and more contrast due to an optimized black body, the resulting colors are striking. Sporting advanced driver ICs and LEDs with large color space, Ruby is fully HDR adaptive. It adds excellent color depth and great grayscales to visuals.”
Comprised of cinema-grade displays and large clusters of VFX render hardware, LED volumes have caused a seismic shift in media production methodologies in film, TV, and commercial production. The ability to generate photorealistic 3D environments and visual effects on set, in real time, delivers an unparalleled level of creative flexibility. NantStudios, a NantWorks company, founded in 2012 by Michele B. Chan Soon-Shiong, is a state-of-the-art full-service production ecosystem comprised of traditional, broadcast, and virtual production stages.
UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Matchbox Pictures chose NantStudios as the virtual production vendor for upcoming projects set to shoot in the Australian State of Victoria. The NantStudios stages will be available to both local and international productions considering locating in that Australian state. NantStudios is led by Michele B. Chan Soon-Shiong, President; Gary Marshall, VP, of Virtual Production; and Keaton Heinrichs, VP, of Operations & Business Development, and is part of the NantWorks ecosystem of companies. The company offers fully integrated services including digital asset creation, AI machine learning expertise, motion control, consulting, performance capture, and on-set operations. NantStudios is led by a global award-winning team and integrated with a secure layer 1 fiber network, with a family of issued patents covering cloud hybrid fabric, machine vision and computing technologies. “We are thrilled to bring the next generation of film and television production to Australia,” said Soon-Shiong. “Building on the success of our studios in Los Angeles, the NantStudios technology team has engineered a truly next-generation LED stage design, and we are honored that UCP will be the first to utilize our stages in Melbourne.”
Creating a Hub for Virtual Production in the Southern Hemisphere
“We are so excited about the infrastructure and cutting-edge technology NantStudios is bringing to Docklands Studios Melbourne,” said Matt Vitins, Chief Operating Officer of Matchbox Pictures, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. “We are thrilled at what is coming together for our immediate pipeline of international projects, but the broader aim here is to make Melbourne a hub for virtual production in the southern hemisphere. In this, it is incredible to have the commitment and technical talent of NantStudios, following on from the substantial enthusiasm and support of VicScreen, the Victorian Government and the Australian Government,” he said.
“NantStudios’ commitment to expanding in Australia is a testament to the technology and the impact it’s had on the industry in such a short order of time,” said NantStudios’ Heinrichs. “The Victorian Screen Incentive has created a compelling financial rationale that will undoubtedly enhance Melbourne’s reputation as an international production hub. We are fortunate to be working with UCP, Matchbox Pictures and VicScreen in helping launch the stages with one of the most significant and technically ambitious screen productions in the world.”
“The marriage of the creative juggernaut of UCP’s projects and the novel technology NantStudios will be implementing in Melbourne is a dream partnership. We are braced to redraw the frontiers of virtual production once again and we look forward to bringing this technology and services to all productions shooting in the region,” said Marshall VP, of Virtual Production for NantStudios.
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, “Together, VicScreen, Nant, UCP, Matchbox Pictures, and Docklands Studios Melbourne are pioneering a new frontier in virtual production, delivering the next installment of sophisticated and dynamic LED stages backed a world-class team of technicians. The build includes the largest permanent LED volume in the world, creating a multitude of new possibilities for both local and international productions, allowing the most ambitious and imaginative stories to be brought to life in Melbourne.”
Docklands Studios Melbourne CEO Antony Tulloch added, “The scale and functionality of the NantStudios LED stages will energize the whole Docklands Studio offering. We look forward to seeing the impressive visuals, local talent development and industry growth that will flow from the ambitious projects currently slated.”
Supporting NantStudios’ Virtual Production Ecosystem
ROE Visuals is no stranger to working with NantStudios. When NantStudios launched its revolutionary virtual production ecosystem and innovation campus in El Segundo, CA, ROE Visual LED products were a part of the studios. This state-of-the-art ICVFX sound stage was designed and innovated in collaboration with Lux Machina, the company that’s been on the leading edge of designing and implementing ICVFX stages. Lux Machina advised using the ROE Visual Black Pearl BP2 LED panels for the LED volume, which Lux Machina’s team had used earlier on the set of The Mandalorian. Combined with a ceiling of ROE’s Carbon CB3 LED panels, this is a proven and ideal set-up.
In addition to NantStudios, ROE Visual’s Black Pearl BP2V2 LED panels feature in film studios around the world, including PXO & WFW Stages, Monolith Studios, Cinecittà Studios, Nordisk Film Shortcut Stage, Netflix Studios, TDC Stages, Amazon Studios, XR Studios, and more. The series has won the trust and reputation of various customers in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions. Equipped with BP2V2 LED-based virtual production technology, studios offer film and TV producers new, creative options to optimize their production workflow, creating flexible and cost-effective shooting solutions.
“The positive feedback from our valued customers has been tremendous, allowing us to build solid global partnerships in this industry segment. Focusing on users’ needs, we’re confident that our products will continue to make a difference,” says Grace Kuo, Sales Director at ROE Visual. “We appreciate our customers’ trust and support. We look forward to more amazing projects supported by our BP2V2 LED panels.”
Learn more about NantStudios at www.nantstudios.com and more about ROE Visual Solutions at www.roevisual.com.
