NantStudios, a cutting-edge technology company based in Los Angeles, has unveiled the world’s largest LED volume screen in Stage 1 at Docklands Studios Melbourne. Comprised of 6,000 LED panels that are 12m (40 ft) high and 88m (289 ft) wide, and with a 3m (10 ft) deep water tank at its centre, the next-generation volume screen has leveraged Melbourne’s position as a thriving international hub for virtual production.

Additionally, NantStudios has built a smaller LED volume in Stage 3, standing at 8m (26ft) high. Both facilities feature articulating ceiling panels that can be manipulated with proprietary 3D software to shape and craft light as an integral component of production lighting.

This next-generation LED volume technology offers a higher level of creative flexibility, enabling film, TV, and commercial productions to generate photorealistic environments and visual effects in real-time, eliminating the need for transporting equipment and crew to remote locations. This innovation, pioneered by the Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian, empowers filmmakers to control weather, lighting, and time of day at the touch of a button and within the comfort of a sound stage.

The new infrastructure at Docklands Studios Melbourne has been chosen by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group and its local arm Matchbox Pictures as the virtual production vendor for upcoming projects set to shoot in the State of Victoria. The NantStudios facilities will also be accessible to both local and international productions planning to shoot in Victoria.

NantStudios, a part of the NantWorks ecosystem of companies, is led by President, Michele B Chan Soon-Shiong; VP of Virtual Production, Gary Marshall; and VP of Operations and Business Development, Keaton Heinrichs.

“The Victorian Screen Incentive has created a compelling financial rationale that will undoubtedly enhance Melbourne’s reputation as an international production hub,”

Keaton Heinrichs, VP of Operations and Business Development at NantStudios

Caroline Pitcher, VicScreen CEO, said, “The build creates a multitude of new possibilities for both local and international productions, allowing the most ambitious and imaginative stories to be brought to life in Melbourne.”

“The scale and functionality of the NantStudios LED stages will energize the whole Docklands Studios offering.”

Antony Tulloch, CEO of Docklands Studios Melbourne

Get in touch with Docklands or VicScreen: