BrandStar Studios, a division of BrandStar, has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade to its studios, allowing them to provide the newest, most cutting-edge technologies in the world of production, including virtual Production, extended reality, augmented reality and mixed-reality capabilities, all in real-time.
Already recognized as South Florida’s largest production studio, the upgrade also includes implementation of the state-of-the-art, Unreal Engine software, the world’s most opened and advanced real-time 3D creation tool, which virtually renders the most complex of sets, allowing real-time shooting, while exponentially reducing editing and post-production work.
BrandStar Studios has employed a full team of Unreal Engine CGI artists, allowing for the development of the highest photo realism virtual environments for set builds, with available interior and exterior scenes from around the world.
“We can basically put anyone, anywhere, in real-time,” said Mark Alfieri, CEO of BrandStar. “The combination of equipment and technology makes us a true next-generation studio. We are comparable to the most sophisticated movie studios in California.”
The enhancements feature one of the largest LED Volumes (screens) on the East Coast, measuring over 13 feet high and over 100 feet long, all within BrandStar’s 43,000-square-foot facilities. The LEDs are the latest technology with a 1.9M pixel size allowing for true 8K resolution.
“There’s a reason the technology leverages ‘Unreal,’” adds Alfieri. “It allows us to create super high-end productions quickly, utilizing the same in-camera virtual environments that major studios are deploying to film their most technology-intensive programming. We will use this technology to produce music videos, virtual events, high-end commercials, television shows, feature films, basically anything anyone can dream up, we can produce it.”
BrandStar is using this advanced technology in production of their own shows, which include The Balancing Act and Military Makeover with Montel, airing on Lifetime.
Other Critical aspects of the multi-million-dollar upgrades include:
- Three motorized 27 ft. x 10 ft. LED Ceilings, called the ‘Star Walkers.’ These ceilings are super high resolution, 2.9M pixels. They hover across the studio and can flip down in four different directions, to become additional LED walls, when needed, offering multiple lighting and VFX (visual effects) capabilities.
- The ‘Star Walkers’ allow the studio to become a five-wall, fully enclosed LED setup. Total pixel count between the ceilings and walls is in excess of 30 million, making it a one-of-a-kind system which does not exist in any other studio.
- Sony VENICE Cameras, allowing for the cleanest cinematic productions for virtual environments.
- BrandStar, in partnership with Scorpio Techno-Cranes, has acquired one of the first 17 ft. jibs with robotics, a state-of-the-art, fully automated camera head housing. This is one of the first combination rigs in the world, and will allow multiple programmable camera and crane moves, creating a best-in-class production capture.
- A fully equipped Control room, housing the latest Grass Valley 4K/8K Switcher, allowing for high-end camera switching for Virtual Productions.
- BrandStar Studios, in Partnership with Mo-Sys, is the first in the USA to house the new Mo-Sys VP Pro XR an all-in-one virtual set hardware and software, combining multi-node nDisplay architecture, an improved VP Pro real-time compositor/synchronizer, and a new XR toolset. This XR server system is focused on delivering a new Cinematic non-destructive compositor capabilities. The Cinematic XR Focus allows focus pullers to pull focus between real and virtual elements in an LED volume – a world first – and is now a part of the system.
To view a sample of BrandStar’s expanded studio capabilities, click here.
“The response from our clients to the upgrades has been extraordinary,” concludes Alfieri. “We have clients from California booking the studio for their Virtual Productions. We have no doubt these advancements will be an extraordinary step forward for all of Florida’s production capabilities.”
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