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Brompton Technology powers Scotland’s Nightsky Studios

Nightsky Studios is a virtual production (VP) facility located in Coatbridge, just east of Glasgow. Opened in April last year and with close to 3,000 sqm of indoor space, the studio has become a hub for high-profile productions, including shoots for HGTV American pay television channel and Scottish crime dramas. Spearheaded by founder and director Lewis Simister, Nightsky Studios employs Brompton Technology LED processing, managed by the studio’s dedicated team.

Ben Bentley, Studio Executive at Nightsky Studios, says that Simister conceived the idea of establishing a VP facility at the onset of the global pandemic. “Lewis, Avais (Safdar, Studio Executive), and I were each involved in different sectors of the live events market”, he reports. “When COVID-19 led to the cancellation of live events, Lewis saw an opportunity to use his skill with large format video walls in virtual production, which was emerging as an exciting new frontier. That was the first step; the next was securing a space to accommodate it.”

As they awaited the arrival of their LED screen, the studio’s space requirements were already growing. “We started with 604 sqm and quickly expanded to 1,600 sqm, then 3,000 sqm”, Bentley details. “Concurrently, we upgraded our ROE Visual Ruby 2.3 panels from 50 sqm to 100 sqm, and eventually to 150 sqm, all powered by Brompton’s Tessera processors.”

Nightsky Studios features two sound-treated stages - one 1,022 sqm and the other 604 sqm - along with a workshop space, green rooms, offices, and storage areas. The studio’s LED infrastructure includes 600 ROE Visual Ruby 2.3 panels running on Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors and Tessera XD 10G data distribution units. Tracking is facilitated by a Mo-Sys StarTracker system, paired with VP Pro-XR.

Nightsky’s LED volume can be configured to any specification, either on- or off-site, from smaller setups to as big as a 30 m by 5 m  “in vision” curved volume with full tracking capabilities and infrastructure. “One of our latest productions, ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’, went from a 2 m by 2 m to a 12 m by 3 m and, most recently, we did a 20 m by 4 m with the screens fully in camera”, says Bentley.

The team’s background in live events means building large-format video walls is second nature to them. They say they understand the cost implications of giant volumes, working closely with productions to minimise the amount of screen needed to achieve their client’s goals. This involves pre-visualisation to ensure the director’s and DP’s camera angles and stylistic choices are captured. Whether that is 2D, 2.5D, or fully virtual, they build the wall to match the production’s needs rather than forcing the client to adapt to a pre-existing setup.

Highlighting Nightsky’s continued commitment to delivering live events, the company has acquired 250 sqm of ROE Vanish Air Outdoor, driven by the Tessera platform, further expanding their product portfolio.

(Photos: Brompton Technology/Nightsky Studios/PaulM/Sony)

www.bromptontech.com

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