Versatile Media has begun construction on a new film studio in Burnaby, B.C., which will include the company’s first permanent LED volume for virtual production.

The studio, which is expected to be completed in late 2022 and open for productions in 2023, will total 43,000 square feet and include both traditional and LED soundstages.

Development on the studio is led by industrial developer Beedie, marking the company’s “first purpose-built LED film stage,” according to Blake Asselstine, VP, asset management at Beedie, in a statement.

The cylindrical LED volume includes 12,000 panels, utilizing the Unreal Engine from Epic and technology from NVIDIA. The soundstage includes zero latency camera tracking and the ability to film in 8K resolution, as well as other core features for cinematographers.

The studio also includes office space, parking and work areas for painting, sawmills and costuming, and is designed for a full-cycle virtual production pipeline service.

Versatile opened a virtual production soundstage on Vancouver’s Pandora Street in 2021. The company also plans to build a 12-acre film base in Hangzhou, China.

“Filmmakers are embracing virtual production to better serve the creative process,” said Steve Read, VP and head of studio, Versatile Media Canada. “We want to empower filmmakers and expand the limits of what is possible with our technology. Our ultimate goal is to accelerate and nurture great storytelling and allow film production to catch up to the tremendous changes of distribution demanded by its appetite for global content.”

Image courtesy of Versatile Media