NantStudios Builds Groundbreaking Virtual Production Stages in Australia; World’s Largest LED Volume

NantStudios, a leading technology-driven virtual production studio based in Los Angeles, announced that the company, through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, has built two new LED 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-foot tall radiused wall of 6,000 panels running 289 feet on a 25,000 square-foot stage and features a huge 59’ x 39’ x 10’ deep water tank in its center.

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“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.”

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 State of Victoria. The NantStudios stages will be available to both local and international productions considering locating in Australia’s State of Victoria. 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.

Comprising 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.

“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.”

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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 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. The second LED stage will stand at 26 feet tall and offer the same articulating ceiling design, perfect for small to medium-sized set pieces and moving vehicle scenes.

“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 Keaton 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 Gary Marshall.

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 instalment of sophisticated and dynamic LED stages backed a worldclass 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.”

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