Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) has announced a new virtual production facility.
Opening at RHUL’s Egham campus, Futures Studio will focus on R&D, aiming to provide creative tech SMEs with a space to innovate in a de-risked environment, showcase their work and partner with researchers and experts from across the industry. Funding for the facility has been provided by the university and Surrey County Council.
As a partner of RHUL, Disguise has equipped the studio with a range of solutions, combining a virtual production environment with an IP networked audio system which includes ambisonics and object-based audio. The studio includes a 10.5m LED volume wall and ‘wild wall’ along with virtual production tools and workflows.
Futures Studio becomes the first facility to open under the £51.1 million CoSTAR National Lab project. Funded by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, CoSTAR National Lab exists to create a national infrastructure for creative innovation. The new facility will act as an experimental space for the project’s flagship studio in Buckinghamshire, which is set to open next year.
Professor James Bennett, director, CoSTAR National Lab and Royal Holloway’s Associate pro-vice-chancellor (creative industries), said, “Futures Studio is CoSTAR National Lab’s first step in building the UK’s infrastructure for the next generation of creative innovation and entertainment and we’re excited to see how local businesses can benefit from this unique space. By providing an accessible facility that combines research and the latest technology we’re lowering the barrier for local smaller businesses to not only compete, but to lead the wider evolving creative tech industry.”
Futures Studio project lead Professor Peter Richardson, vice-dean of research and knowledge exchange (school of performing and digital arts) at Royal Holloway, and head of worldbuilding for the CoSTAR National Lab, said, “Technology often powers creativity; our approach is to have creativity power technology which allows us to push the boundaries of what is possible. The Futures Studio gives us a space where we can push the boundaries with creative companies in a way that will de-risk their research and development projects.”
