The future of film production is expanding as Industrial Light & Magic has announced plans to open a new virtual production stage in Vancouver, British Columbia next year.
What’s Happening:
- According to the Hollywood Reporter, ILM will open the new 20,000 square foot stage next spring.
- The virtual stage will feature a StageCraft LED system — also known as “the volume” as detailed in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.
- With the addition of the Vancouver stage, there will be a total of five permanent ILM volumes, including two in Manhattan Beach, one at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, and one at Pinewood Studios in London.
- These stages have not only been used for The Mandalorian’s upcoming third season but have also been utilized for Lucasfilm’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
- Speaking of the Walt Disney Studios virtual stage, it was recently featured in a first-look image of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father.
What They’re Saying:
- Janet Lewin, SVP and General Manager of ILM: “Vancouver is a fantastic production hub where we’ve received a lot of interest from our clients who want a StageCraft volume in British Columbia. It was a natural next step for our expansion.”
- Spencer Kent, executive in charge of ILM’s Vancouver studio: “I’m also proud that we are actively recruiting with an eye towards hiring people from underrepresented communities. This effort will be bolstered when we launch our upcoming Jedi Training Academy in January.”