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Dark Slope to Open New Virtual Production Stage in Vancouver (Exclusive)
Dark Slope plans to open a virtual production stage at North Shore Studios in Vancouver in December, adding LED technology to the campus’s existing production facilities. The move follows the closure of Pixomondo’s stages and reflects Dark Slope’s expectation that producers will make greater use of virtual production.
The stage will reuse LED screens, motion-tracking cameras, computing equipment and rigging from former Pixomondo stages in Vancouver and Toronto. Those facilities supported productions including Star Trek television series and The Handmaid’s Tale; Dark Slope has also worked on shows such as Heated Rivalry and The Boys. The company plans to offer consulting to design, build and operate custom LED stages in Canada and internationally.
In short
- Dark Slope plans a Vancouver LED stage opening in December.
- The facility will reuse equipment from former Pixomondo stages.
- The company also plans to build custom stages worldwide.
Explained simply
Virtual production uses large LED screens to show digital settings around performers, alongside cameras and computer systems that keep the images aligned as the camera moves. It can let a production film in a controlled studio while displaying locations that might otherwise require travel or extensive sets.
Dark Slope is a Vancouver-based production company, and North Shore Studios is a local studio campus with existing filming facilities. The equipment being reused came from stages run by Pixomondo, which closed its Vancouver and Toronto stages; those facilities were used for series including Star Trek and The Handmaid’s Tale.
The new facility would add virtual production capacity in Vancouver. Dark Slope also plans to advise on designing and running LED stages, a service aimed at producers in Canada and elsewhere.