The new stage features a fully motorised LED ceiling with 2.6mm pixel pitch panels and can reconfigure rapidly from enclosed to rain-ready setups
Garden Studios has launched what it says is its most advanced virtual production stage.
The new virtual production stage has primarily been created to cater for the increased use of virtual production for driving shots. The stage has been designed to accommodate a wide range of vehicles, from cars and motorcycles to large stunt vehicles, buses and specialist transport, allowing productions to bring complex sequences into a controlled studio environment.
The facility opened its first virtual production stage in 2021 and has delivered more than 150 commercials, documentaries, HETV drama and feature films using virtual production since then.
Garden Studios says the new stage reduces on-set friction, improves efficiency and addresses common technical challenges.
Thomas Hoegh, CEO and founder, said: “Garden Studios chose to launch five years ago with a VP stage, even before the rest of our campus was ready for production. We have always felt strongly that using various technologies as tools for efficiency and creative opportunity, all productions should consider. Today, we are proud to present our team’s considerable experience with a VP stage worthy of our clients’ ambitions. We also confidently offer co-investment programs for feature films and put our experience into the creative team’s ambitions.”
The new virtual production stage includes a fully motorised LED ceiling featuring a 2.6mm pixel pitch panel from Absen, to deliver clean, realistic reflections on windscreens and bodywork.
The ceiling can tilt up to 90 degrees to operate as a front LED wall, creating a full 360-degree volume, and can travel up to 18 metres front to back, allowing rapid reconfiguration from a fully enclosed ceiling to a rain-ready setup.
The ceiling area has also been doubled compared to the previous stage.
The stage layout reduces vehicle repositioning, with approximately 90% of camera angles achievable using a single 180-degree rotation, significantly reducing downtime between setups.
Garden Studio VP supervisor, Sam Kemp, says: “Lighting integration is key to selling simulated travel on a volume. The new stage provides a bespoke image-based lighting workflow that plugs into existing control desks. This allows Garden to replicate a wide range of lighting states, from inner-city neon night to hard sunlight on a winding country lane.”
Bee Devine, chief operating officer, added: “This new stage reflects how virtual production is being adopted across film and high-end television. By investing in infrastructure that responds directly to production needs, we’re able to offer clients greater efficiency, reduced risk and more creative control.”
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