UK FILM STUDIOS
PRODUCTION
the ipcress file
currently home to Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. For many studios, there is a big debate about if
and when to invest in LED volumes. On the plus side, LED stages could lead to greater demand for studios as more location work is filmed on virtual production stages. But LED volumes do not come cheap. “People
are building these permanent instals because the rental cost of just doing it on your show is really extreme,” says Warner Bros VP of virtual production Ryan Beagan. “But the cost of doing it in a fixed space is still very high.” Warner Bros. figured that investing early in the
technology made sense as it could use it consistently over time on several its high-profile productions. For now, there is little sense that LED volumes
you can just shoot for 12 hours a day or more without any interruption
are going to drive an exponential rise in business for studios though and bring all shoots inside. Rather LED volumes are, according to Beagan,
another “tool in the box” for filmmakers. Beagan says LED volumes can help filmmakers
“solve really difficult problems, but in and of itself it is a very difficult technical challenge. It suits fantasy and sci-fi worlds, and impossible to access, risky or expensive locations in particular. Arri, meanwhile, built its mixed reality stage in Uxbridge because the company identified virtual
production as “a megatrend” within the industry, says David Levy, director of business development, global solutions, “It’s important for us a manufacturer, as a
rental house, as a solutions provider, that we really understand this technology in a detailed way so that we can also develop our products to be better integrated into these types of systems,” says Levy. Most projects using the Arri mixed reality studio
have been from high end television and film. Levy says LED volumes “really suit car work
very well” as they allow filmmakers to control the environment effectively and safely. “You can just shoot for 12 hours a day or more, without any interruption or worrying your permit is going to run out or the weather is going to go terribly wrong. So, it’s really about risk mitigation and getting that realistic performance as well,” says Levy. Talk to most studio bosses, and they say they
are biding their time about investing in virtual production. “We’re thinking about it,” says Shinfield’s Smith.
“We almost don’t want to be an early adopter. It’s like VHS vs Betamax – you don’t want to invest in one thing, and found you’ve bought the wrong thing. We’ve got a watching eye on it.” Twickenham’s Sheppard takes a similar view. “I think you’ll see a massive, massive growth. There’s
Spring 2022
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