Scotland’s Nightsky Studios opens virtual production facility

TV studio facility Nightsky Studios has openend in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, just east of Glagow, Scotland. It spans over 32,000 sq ft of indoor space, with two sound-treated stages, one workshop/build space, and additional ancillary spaces made up of green rooms, offices, and storage rooms.

Nightsky also has a virtual production setup that can be built on request for clients’ specific needs, either on-site at Nightsky Studios or elsewhere.

It can be configured as a 30 metre wide and 5 metre high ‘in vision’ curved volume with full tracking capabilities and infrastructure.

The screen consists of 600 Roe Visual Ruby 2.3 panels running on Brompton SX40 backend. The tracking is provided by the Mo-sys Startracker system, paired with VP Pro-XR.

The studio complex has partnered with Glasgow’s Blazing Griffin on its virtual production facilities. Together, they provide end-to-end virtual production services, combining Nightsky’s expertise in the physical virtual production set-up with Blazing Griffin’s in-house knowledge of Unreal Engine 5.1 as well as its production and post-production expertise.

Nightsky managing director, Lewis Simister, said: “Set in six acres of land, our multi-stage complex is ideally located to support the needs of the growing Scottish film and TV industry. Our state-of-the-art, customisable virtual production capabilities bring the latest in storytelling technology to Scotland. Through our exciting training partnerships we hope to help expand the skill base in Scotland, and look forward to working with local industry partners to boost the world-class filming opportunities that Scotland has to offer.”

Producer, Lauren Lamarr, said: “It’s inspiring for the Scottish film and television industries to have both Nightsky Studios and their virtual production facilities on our doorstep. The Nightsky team are knowledgeable, collaborative and flexible, and as someone who had never worked with a virtual production volume previously, I am excited to see what can be achieved on our next productions.”

Blazing Griffin managing director, Naysun Alae-Carew, added: “Scotland has been at the forefront of storytelling culture throughout history, from mythology to poetry, to the inventions of the telephone and television, not to mention its huge contribution to the world of video games. Virtual production is the natural combination of all of these elements and much more, and so Nightsky and Blazing Griffin are thrilled to bring this storytelling technology to its natural home, in Scotland.”