‘House of the Dragon’ technology behind Bristol University’s world-first facility

Instead of green screens, actors and directors can now see dynamic LED backdrops where stories take place. 

The new virtual production stage will use computer generated imagery (CGI) to help create these imagined worlds, installed alongside a one-of-a-kind 35 seat Smart Cinema that can measure what the audience is feeling.

The new multi-million pound facility will be built in Bristol’s Temple Quarter and is set to open in Autumn 2024.

According to the partners, the facility has been designed to allow those in the creative industries to experiment and innovate alongside internationally renowned academics, to change the way the film, TV and games are created, broadcast and experienced by everyone. 

“The partnership with Lux Machina is a critical element in our mission to combine world leading research and teaching with the latest in production facilities,” Oscar De Mello, Operations Director of MyWorld, Bristol University, said in a statement. 

“Our Experimental Studio and Smart Cinema will enable a huge variety of partners, from global leaders like Netflix and Amazon to Bristol’s amazing indie and freelancer community, to access the tools, data and talent they need to safeguard and grow their businesses, to develop and validate new technologies and create new content.” 

The new specialist facilities are being built by the university as part of the MyWorld programme, a £30m UKRI ‘Strength in Places’ funded initiative designed to build on the production, technology and research strengths of the West of England, catalysing the local economy and creating global impact in the creative industries. 

As well as the £1.2m virtual production stage, this new facility will support motion capture technology, volumetric capture, and a soundstage for live TV broadcast alongside audio-visual galleries, edit suites and training rooms. 

Bristol said that MyWorld aims to boost the regional economy by £223m GVA by 2030 and the investment in the programme, including the £3.6m contributed to The Coal Shed research hub, are indicative of the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy, which add £124bn of value to the economy annually.  

The Coal Shed is one half of the new research facility in the university’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which is also home to the Bristol Digital Futures Institute. The facility has also received investment from the UKRI Research Partnerships Investment Fund.