On Monday, October 21st, the UGA MFA FTVDM Second Years took a trip to Stage 22 at Trilith Studios, home of the LUX Volume Stage. Chief Engineer Wesley Goins and Business Development Associate Dominique Moxie gave the students a tour of the Volume Stage and a sneak peek at its inner workings.
The Lux Stage at Trilith Studios is an advanced virtual production facility housed within one of Trilith’s own purpose-built soundstages. The Stage includes a fully-enclosed virtual production volume, 80-ft by 90-ft with a 30-ft ceiling, which uses LED panels and 360 camera tracking to create real-time virtual environments for use in film, commercials, and live broadcasting. The Lux Stage is built to create immersive backdrops with realistic lighting for in-camera visual effects, while the movable LED ceiling and segmented panels allow for camera and lighting gear to be staged throughout the volume.
During this unique visit, Wesley walked the students through the creation of the 3D graphics and how they work in unison with the infrared sensors around the stage and atop the camera to display a succinct real-world view. The students had the opportunity to test the stage themselves, watching the stage move and bend with a subject walking in front of it – seamlessly mimicking filming done off the stage.
Wesley shared an inside look at the makings of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, parts of which were filmed on the Volume Stage at Trilith. As the stage only opened in early 2022, many of its notable works have not been released yet. However, it is a staple of Trilith Studios and encompasses innovative technology, leading the way for the future of filmmaking.