As VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher led a panel of leading women in virtual production at SXSW Austin, two new LED in-camera VFX stages were unveiled at Docklands Studios Melbourne. One of the state-of-the-art stages has the world’s largest LED volume, solidifying Melbourne’s position as a global hub for virtual production.

NantStudios’ Virtual Production Supervisor Jennifer McSpadden (Black Panther, The Mandalorian), Epic Games’ Associate Producer Lara Cawsey and Virtual Production Supervisor Kathryn Brillhart (Black Adam, Rebel Moon, Fallout) joined Pitcher at Australia House at SXSW to discuss the infinite possibilities of this new technology for film and TV production.

Using cinema-grade displays, powerful VFX render hardware and leveraging the use of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, LED volumes enable filmmakers to generate photorealistic 3D environments and visual effects on set, in real-time.

“The LED stages at Docklands Studios Melbourne, backed by a world-class team of technicians, will catapult Victoria’s screen industry capability into a new stratosphere,” said VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher.

“This technology enables far more complexity in storytelling. It breaks the boundaries that limit traditional film and television production, allowing writers, directors, cinematographers, and crews to dream bigger and in a much more complex way,” Pitcher added.

The technology expands the possibilities of what can be created by merging the physical and digital realms, so magic hour can turn into a 10-hour sunset, three different continents can be shot without a unit move, and actors can perform against realistic environments and conditions.

“The most ambitious and imaginative stories will now come to life in Melbourne,” Pitcher said.

The next-generation virtual production technology and stage design at Docklands Studios Melbourne were built by NantStudios, a leading virtual production provider selected by Universal Studio Group’s UCP and Matchbox Pictures for upcoming projects shooting in Victoria, supported by the Australian and Victorian Governments.

For more information on filming in Melbourne, contact Joe Brinkmann, VicScreen’s Head of Incentives & Production Support, at [email protected].