WorldStage and Intrepid Studios have joined forces to open the highest-resolution Extended Reality (xR) production stage ever built and the first and only facility available in Northern California, United States. Located at Intrepid Studios’ comprehensive 12,000-square-foot production and post-production facility in San Rafael, California, xRStage-SF brings next-generation creative capabilities to content creators in the virtual event, corporate, broadcast and film production communities.
xR is a breakthrough technology that combines high resolution LED video walls and an LED floor with 360 degree virtual backgrounds that are rendered in Unreal Engine or Notch content environments and then tracked, composited, and recorded in real time to create immersive experiences.
xR environments can run the creative gamut—from photo-realistic cinematic exteriors and interiors, to dramatic studio sets, to all manner of abstract and highly imaginative scenes. Inside these virtual worlds, the camera perceives amazing depth, parallax and vanishing points – just as in real life.
Actors or presenters can actually see and interact with the details of the scene they are immersed in instead of just a blank green screen in a typical VFX studio. With xRStage virtual set extensions, you expand the scope and scale of wide shots far beyond the physical limitations of the set. Using augmented reality (AR) layers, actors or presenters can also interact with foreground 3D objects – creating exciting, dimensional experiences.
Once all of these capabilities are integrated with practical props, almost any vision becomes possible. And because everything is being created in-camera, in real time, producers walk away with finished material – avoiding the time and expense of compositing in post.
xRStage-SF provides a dynamic virtual space for all types of corporate presentations and messaging. Clients can use it to capture keynote presentations, television broadcast programming, educational content, or to host a live virtual studio broadcast with remote content feeds. It can serve as a turnkey solution or a segment of a larger overall production environment.
Filmmakers can use xRStage-SF to create dynamic, realistic insert and VFX shots for feature and episodic narrative content in a much more efficient and cost-effective way than building traditional sets. xRStage-SF also allows production companies to work in a controlled, COVID-19 safe environment. And with Intrepid Studios’ integrated digital pipeline, creatives can collaborate in real time on content creation, shooting, color grading, editorial and finishing in a single facility.
“We’re very excited to bring this amazing visualization tool to creatives working in every aspect of digital content production. It offers unlimited creative potential that will usher in a new era of digital storytelling,” said Mark Pedersen, CEO and President of Intrepid Studios and Intrepid Creative. “COVID-19 has been a wake-up call to rethink event marketing,” he continues. “You can’t replicate big-room live event experiences in an online world. You need to design content for virtual event environments that takes advantage of the medium to hold audience attention for all kinds of messaging. xR is a phenomenal option that can take audiences anywhere.”
WorldStage was the technical partner in the launch of the disguise xR workflow at NAB 2019 where it was awarded Product of the Year, and went on to successfully demo the concept at the company’s annual NEXT Technology Demos in New York and San Francisco.
“Extended Reality is enjoying rapid adoption in the corporate event and cinema industries, becoming one of the fastest growing segments of our portfolio,” said Richard Steinau, Senior Vice President of WorldStage. “Increasing numbers of clients are eager to use various aspects of xR to create immersive content and explore a new world of possibilities. For digital events where engagement continues to be challenging, xR offers highly dynamic content with considerably improved production value vs today’s virtual presentation formats.”
xRStage-SF is the highest-resolution xR production space ever built. Two ROE Visual Sapphire 1.5mm pixel pitch LED panels, one measuring 11 x 20 feet and the other 11 x 10 feet, meet at right angles and frame WorldStage’s interactive LED i5FLOOR. It is also equipped with state-of the-art cameras and powered by disguise xR and gx 2c media servers with 4K capabilities for live or pre-recorded camera capture.
As the exclusive North American Certified Solutions Provider (CSP) for disguise, WorldStage has unparalleled expertise in implementing the media servers’ built-in xR applications and integration with the Notch and Unreal real-time content engines.
xRStage-SF is now open for demos and full production and has already been booked for virtual events this summer. Clients coming to xRStage-SF have total flexibility to rent the stage for their own camera-ready productions or team with Intrepid Creative and WorldStage to turn-key creative and technical productions. Intrepid creates award-winning brand, video and marketing experiences for Fortune 500 companies and tech leaders. WorldStage is a pioneering and innovative solutions provider that has partnered with Intrepid on live events for over 25 years.
“xRStage represents a natural evolution of the continued leadership role that WorldStage has played in LED display technology and the emergence of xR as a creative platform,” said Gary Standard, CEO and President of WorldStage. “We are delighted to partner with Intrepid on xRStage-SF and to provide this new creative solution to a wide array of film, broadcast and corporate clients.”
“We’re seeing a definite interest from many prospective clients,” added Intrepid’s Pedersen. “From corporate clients creating virtual events, product launches and videos, to VFX firms and film producers. We encourage clients from all sectors to demo xRStage-SF and discover a rich, new world of possibilities.”