A new virtual production stage which uses computer generated imagery (CGI) to help create imagined worlds, will be installed alongside a one-of-a-kind Smart Cinema that can measure what the audience is feeling.
The University of Bristol has joined forces with Lux Machina Consulting, whose world-leading technology brings dragon flight to life in the successful Game of Thrones spin-off, to create a virtual production stage, as part of a unique multi-million pound facility in Bristol’s Temple Quarter.
Where once green screens would have been used, now actors and directors can see dynamic LED backdrops where stories take place, further igniting their performances.
The new facility, comprising a comprising a 35 seat Smart Cinema equipped with a range of monitoring technology, alongside an experimental studio, is due to open in Autumn 2024. It has been designed to allow those in the creative industries to experiment and innovate alongside internationally renowned academics, to change the way the film, TV and games are created, broadcast and experienced by everyone.
“The partnership with Lux Machina is a critical element in our mission to combine world leading research and teaching with the latest in production facilities,” said Oscar De Mello, Operations Director, MyWorld – University of Bristol.
“Our Experimental Studio and Smart Cinema will enable a huge variety of partners, from global leaders like Netflix and Amazon to Bristol’s amazing indie and freelancer community, to access the tools, data and talent they need to safeguard and grow their businesses, to develop and validate new technologies and create new content.”
“We’re excited to partner with MyWorld to bring Virtual Production to the University of Bristol, one of the leading creative hubs in the UK. This new stage and wider facility, empowers new creatives to break ground in ICVFX & beyond” said David Elliott Lux’s Producer on the project.
The new specialist facilities in the Coal Shed are being built by the University of Bristol as part of the MyWorld programme, a £30m UKRI Strength in Places funded initiative designed to build on the production, technology and research strengths of the West of England, catalysing the local economy and while creating global impact in the creative industries.
Ben Lumsden, now of Dimension Studio, formerly of Epic Games and makers of Fortnite, said: “I think this facility will drive more people from the creative industries to come and play here in Bristol and that represents a really exciting opportunity for the broader creative industries.”
MyWorld aims to boost the regional economy by £223m GVA (Gross Value Added) by 2030 and the investment in the programme, including the £3.6m contributed to The Coal Shed, are indicative of the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy, which add £124bn of value to the UK economy per year.
As well as the £1.2m virtual production stage, the new facility will support motion capture technology, the kind used to bring Gollum to life in Lord of the Rings, volumetric capture, and a soundstage for live TV broadcast alongside audio-visual galleries, edit suites and training rooms.
“The Coal Shed will be a space where world-leading research will co-locate alongside, collaborative R&D and training, with our courses targeted at those under-represented in the creative sector. This means that we will not just be driving innovation, we will also be satisfying skills needs and enabling a more inclusive industry and regional economy.”, said Professor David Bull, MyWorld’s Programme Director.
Lauren Paul, VP Business Development Lux Machina added: “One of the things I get most excited about is working with universities and research programmes around the world as they expand their reach into virtual production. By making innovative and industry-leading technologies accessible, we help unlock the next generation of masterful technical and creative minds. It’s clear MyWorld and the University of Bristol are helping to lead this charge in the UK.”
Bristol was awarded the prestigious City of Film Award during the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
The Coal Shed is one half of the new research facility in the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which is also home to the Bristol Digital Futures Institute. The facility has also received investment from the UKRI Research Partnerships Investment Fund.