USA - As a New York City XR Studio dedicated to democratising virtual production, WLab leverages cutting-edge Brompton Technology LED processing and Pixreal Avatar series, offering a unique opportunity for first-time virtual production filmmakers to kickstart their journey in this revolutionary field.
WLab emerged from a fundamental quandary: the world of virtual production, while evolving rapidly within studios such as Disney, Amazon, and Sony, remains an enigma and a luxury to students, artists, and independent creators. “We questioned why such a critical and transformative aspect of modern filmmaking should only be accessible to a privileged few, and how we could resolve this imbalance,” says WLab’s co-founder, Tommy Wu.
With a team of passionate filmmakers from New York University (NYU), School of Visual Arts (SVA), and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) who dared to democratise virtual production, WLab’s vision was not just to break down the cost barriers preventing emerging artists from accessing advanced technology, but to push the boundaries of virtual production filmmaking as well as providing comprehensive education opportunities.
Since the studio’s opening, WLab has already partnered with NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, 'Tandon at the Yard' at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. “This opportunity allowed us to facilitate workshops, demos, and open studio times for students from NYU, Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and the Brooklyn Steam Center,” adds Wu. “Moreover, we launched an in-house grant programme, empowering first-time virtual production filmmakers to bring their visions to life on our screens.”
Today, WLab houses a state-of-the-art 9m by 3m curved LED wall with a pixel pitch of 2.3mm. The display consists of 132 Pixreal Avatar2.3 panels arranged in a 22 by 6 configuration. The LED wall is powered by two Brompton S8 LED processors. The screens have also been calibrated with the Hydra advanced measurement system to make them Brompton HDR-ready.
The new studio employs advanced tracking technology with Vive Mars, allowing for precise motion capture and interaction. The setup also includes a RED KOMODO camera, Unreal Engine for real-time 3D creation, and an NVIDIA A6000 graphics card, making WLab a cutting-edge facility for immersive and interactive experiences.
Rayne Feng, sales and marketing director at Pixreal, says: “We were excited to partner with WLab for their New York City XR Studio. With virtual production revolutionising filmmaking, accurate lighting, colour, and reflections are essential for creating ultra-realistic visuals on LED screens that seamlessly blend with physical reality. Our Avatar series was designed for virtual production applications, featuring an elite system and hardware design that delivers incredibly accurate colour rendition, pinpoint greyscale accuracy and superior HDR capability.”
Speaking about their commitment to production services and nurturing the future of virtual production, Wu notes that they have established themselves as a full-service virtual production hub, and that they are “focused on making these advanced resources available to artists, students and productions of any size throughout New York City.”
“We’re thrilled to see Brompton Tessera LED processing being utilised in WLab’s New York City XR Studio, opening new opportunities for students from various educational establishments in that area,” concludes Bruce Rebels, technical sales representative (US) at Brompton Technology. “We believe that having access to virtual production technology is essential for students, as it provides them with the practical, hands-on experience needed to thrive in the evolving film and media landscape. With WLab offering industry-standard equipment in their new lab, students can better understand the intricacies of virtual production, preparing them to excel in their future careers.”
