McArthur Studio

Core to our strategy is McArthur Studio, a state-of-the-art virtual production film, broadcast, and mixed reality studio that is revolutionizing the entertainment industry.

With a cutting-edge LED volume and the latest real-time technologies such as camera tracking, motion capture, game engines, and media servers, McArthur Studio is at the forefront of delivering in-camera VFX (ICVFX) and xR (extended reality) experiences.

McArthur Studio offers full drive-in access, which allows for easy loading and unloading of large sets and equipment. This feature also provides flexibility for clients who need to bring in large props or sets for their productions.

McArthur Studio also boasts a powerful robotic camera system that allows for precise and dynamic camera movements, adding to the immersive experience for viewers. This system can be controlled remotely, providing further flexibility for clients.

With its cutting-edge technology and exceptional production capabilities, McArthur Studio has attracted clients from various industries, including film, television, gaming, and advertising.

Its ability to deliver high-quality productions in a cost-effective and timely manner make it a preferred choice for many.

In summary, McArthur Studio is a state-of-the-art virtual production studio that is setting new standards in the entertainment industry. With its cutting-edge LED volume, the latest real-time technologies, drive-in access, and powerful robotic camera system, McArthur Studio is well-positioned to meet the demands of clients seeking immersive and high-quality productions.

Why Build This Studio?

Opening in 2024, this studio is capable of producing the type of film work that was done on shows like The Mandalorian (2019), The Suicide Squad (2021), Dune (2021), The Batman (2022), Loki (2021), Black Adam (2022), and Shazam!

McArthur Studio provides an ideal platform for filmmakers, cinematographers, directors, producers and creatives to shoot in-camera VFX using LED technology while exploring the technological landscape that’s revolutionizing the visual effects industry.

This studio is ideal for everything from virtual production tests to shooting feature films, episodic series, commercial/advertising, live broadcasts, R&D and much more.

Within the walls of McArthur Studio you can create any virtual environment you can imagine.

  • The environment could be a spaceship like in The Mandalorian, an “under the sea” world like Avatar or any other place that the creator can imagine, whether it exists or not.
  • You can create an environment that people can see in real life and act in and you can change the location instantaneously.
  • You can move the sun in the sky.
  • You can have that beautiful twilight last forever.
  • You can move from location to location without building expensive sets.
  • You can see the vision together collaboratively with your actors and crew and work in real time in that environment until you get it exactly the way that you want.
  • It shortens post-production time.
  • You can get all the color and the lighting and everything else in place before you start.
  • It enables you to create worlds that you couldn't even be in, in the real world and it also enables you to quickly move from spot to spot.

 

Ken McArthur's movie, The Impact Factor, had over 20 locations that the production had to move to.  Changing locations involves getting in cars, trucks, hauling all the equipment, getting all set up again, and shooting a scene and this studio eliminates most of that time and expense.

Another important success factor of a virtual production studio like Ken McArthur’s Clear Impact Studios is the protection it provides from external factors such as weather, noise, and other distractions that can affect traditional on-location filming. By filming in a controlled environment, filmmakers and creatives can focus solely on their vision without the challenges of unpredictable weather or external noise disrupting the production.

Additionally, the ability to quickly change and adapt the virtual environment allows for greater flexibility and the ability to easily make adjustments to the set design or lighting without the need for costly reshoots.

The Benefits of Virtual Production

Virtual production is a collaborative process that combines the physical and digital worlds of filmmaking. Popular shows like HBO's House of the Dragon have employed this process, using game engines like Unreal Engine to create digital scenes that are projected onto LED screens.

With camera tracking technology, the 3D world behind the actors can be adjusted to match the live-action camera, allowing filmmakers to virtually explore their creative visions without the need for physical sets. For these reasons and more, filmmakers are turning to virtual production studios to bring their visions to life. Here are the top five reasons why filmmakers are using technology like Unreal Engine in their filmmaking process:

  1. Cost savings – Virtual production is far cheaper than building physical sets, and can save up to 70% in production costs.
  2. Flexibility – Filmmakers can quickly adjust settings and make adjustments with ease in a virtual environment.
  3. Remote work – Virtual production allows for remote work, which is increasingly important as crew members are spread out due to travel restrictions.
  4. Creative freedom – Filmmakers can explore different storylines and outcomes without being tied to physical sets or locations.
  5. Fast turnaround – With virtual production, filmmakers can complete projects faster as they no longer need to wait for physical sets or locations to be built.

What are the Advantages

A state-of-the-art virtual production film, broadcast, and mixed reality studio like Clear Impact Studios offers several advantages to clients, including:

  1. Immersive and realistic experiences: The cutting-edge LED volume and real-time technologies used by McArthur Studio allow for immersive and realistic experiences for viewers. This helps to create an emotional connection with the audience and enhances the overall impact of the production.
  2. Cost and time savings: By using in-camera VFX or xR, McArthur Studio can save clients significant amounts of money and time compared to traditional post-production VFX. This is because the effects are created in real-time during the filming process, reducing the need for expensive post-production work.
  3. Flexibility: With its drive-in access and powerful robotic camera system, McArthur Studio offers clients the flexibility to create custom sets and execute complex camera movements with ease. This allows for greater creative freedom and the ability to bring unique and ambitious ideas to life.
  4. Competitive advantage: By using state-of-the-art technology, McArthur Studio offers clients a competitive advantage in the industry. Productions created in virtual studios are becoming increasingly popular, and McArthur Studio is at the forefront of this trend, positioning clients to be ahead of the curve.
  5. Increased safety: During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual production studios like McArthur Studio have become even more valuable as they provide a safer alternative to traditional on-location filming. By reducing the need for large on-set crews and allowing for remote participation, virtual production studios can help keep cast and crew safe while still creating high-quality productions.

What's in the Studio?

Our studio integrators will partner with Ken McArthur to design and build the Premiere Virtual Production facility in Pennsylvania. We will create the systems and workflows that will enable us to create cutting edge content internally and also to provide clients with a frustration-free world-class production experience.

The studio will include:

  • 67’ x 15 Curved J-Shaped LED Volume with 1.9mm Pixel Pitch & Brompton Processors
  • Custom Truss Structure
  • Drape
  • Green Screen Cyc Wall
  • Content Playback Servers and Render Nodes designed for Extended Reality
  • Lighting Grid System with integrated power and data.
  • Tracking System
  • Brain Bar
  • Cinema Robot - Colossus
  • 2x premium cinema cameras and extended lens packages optimized for virtual production
  • Basic Production Switching
  • System Infrastructure, Racks, Power and Structured Cabling
  • Intelligent Film Lighting Package
  • Motion Capture System
  • Audio Package

Robotic Cinema Camera Systems

The entertainment industry is implementing robots for the same reasons manufacturers are: precise, repeatable, nonstop work. Those features make collaborative robots an attractive option in a range of entertainment industry applications. A camera-wielding robot can shoot a movie scene dozens of times in exactly the same way, or manage precise, repetitive special effects movements.

Precision and safety

Six-axis collaborative robots can easily manipulate objects such as cameras for high-precision, high-speed film sequences with 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints and infinite rotation on the end joint. The robots provide fast, repeatable actions but are safe to work side-by-side with humans. Patented force-sensing technology means the robot stops immediately when it encounters a human in its workspace.

With programming as easy as moving the arm to the desired path and using an intuitive touchscreen interface, even non-technical operators can easily automate nearly any process.

Advantages of collaborative robots for the entertainment industry include:

  • Space-saving, lightweight design for exceptional flexibility
  • Easy programming and short set-up time, with reusable programs for recurrent tasks
  • Fast payback with none of the traditional robotic costs for programming, set-up, and dedicated work cells