Virtual production facility Studio Ulster launches

Studio Ulster is designed to support film, TV, game and animation productions, and offers large-scale virtual production stages for real-time filmmaking. The facility integrates real-time engines, in-camera visual effects, volumetric capture, and motion tracking into its pipeline.

Studio Ulster is the result of a £72m investment, part-funded through the Belfast Region City Deal and developed by Ulster University in partnership with Belfast Harbour and supported by Northern Ireland Screen.

It is the only purpose-built virtual production campus of its kind in Northern Ireland, offering 3D/4D scanning and motion capture through to full-scale LED volume stages and post-production suites.

Studio Ulster is also home to the CoSTAR Screen Lab — one of five national research labs created under the UK-wide CoSTAR initiative.

Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen, said: “While many filmmakers are aware of the basics, few fully grasp how radically the technology has evolved. Studio Ulster is a genuine game-changer, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on screen and enabling directors to bring any imagined world to life, right here at Belfast Harbour.”

“The launch of Studio Ulster marks a new chapter, one where cutting-edge virtual production, motion capture, and digital scanning converge to give filmmakers, game developers, and creatives the power to shape worlds in real time” said Professor Declan Keeney, CEO of Studio Ulster and BFI Board Member.