A new virtual production stage on the outskirts of Watford is set to change the way films are made, the excited head of studio operations at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden believes.
V Stage is in the final stages of construction and it will be used for the first time in August when House of the Dragon starts filming on it.
The prequel to HBO’s acclaimed drama Game of Thrones is due to continue using the facility until December but after that a variety of productions are set to make use of a facility that adds a completely new dimension to filmmaking at the studio complex.
“It’s so exciting for us because it’s the first purpose built,” Emily Stillman, senior vice president, studio operations, told the Watford Observer. “It’s bringing a new technology here but also to the UK industry.
“It’s something the productions here will use but it’s not restricted to that. I see a lot of other productions – television, commercials, pop promos – coming in and using it.
“Unlike the other stages where a production will come in and take it for six months, this is more like a day, two days, maybe a week. The turnaround is much quicker so it’s open to a lot more people.”
Offering 24,000 sq ft of total space, the inside of V Stage will consist of a 7,100-sq-ft wraparound virtual production environment, using a matrix of more than 2,600 LED panels integrated with a powerful, state of the art processing system.
In addition, the stage ceiling offers an additional 5,500 sq ft of LED panels with eight sections that work independently of one another, lifting and tilting to provide a new level of creative scope.
“It’s such a cutting edge technology and the ability that it opens up to film makers is incredible,” Emily said. “They can literally create anything on it in any environment at the flick of a switch.
“That’s really exciting in terms of what we can offer but also in terms of skills development because it’s will need a whole new team of people.
“At the moment we have brought people over from the States to set it up, but we’re looking at training a new generation that can take it on and manage it.
“It will change the way that scripts are written, films are scheduled and budgeted and the actual film making process which is quite exciting.”
A former production manager whose credits include Pirates of the Caribbean, Pearl Harbour and X-Men, Emily joined Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden as Sales and Marketing Director in 2012.
Having been promoted to her current position following former managing director Dan Dark’s appointment as executive vice president of worldwide studio operations, Emily sees her role as two-fold.
“One is making sure that every production that comes here has a good journey and a good experience and all the team do everything they can to make life easy for them,” she said. “The other side is looking after our staff, our people and our community.”
Emily was a driving force behind bringing The Wonderworks to Leavesden – a childcare facility that gives women the option of returning to production after childcare.
She said: “It helps dads as well but essentially it’s about trying to retain some of that brilliant female talent that the industry has been losing.
“That opened in the middle of the pandemic. At the moment it’s supporting 55 families from across the studios but also parents at the studio tour. We also have a number of community spaces there.”
Emily has also been part of the team that have rolled out mental health and wellbeing programmes to support staff during the pandemic and returning to work at the studios, in addition to continuing to work on several initiatives that aim to make the studios a more diverse and inclusive employer.
Warner Bros. Leavesden has a scholarship programme with the University of Hertfordshire and is also working with Watford jobcentre as part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme.
Emily’s division of the company continues to enjoy positive results with those it has employed through various training programmes.
She said: “All who came to us as apprentices have stayed on with us. One is now a manager in operations which is brilliant.
“He came to our assessment day, started at the bottom, has been with us six years and is now a manager. That’s really good to see.
“Some of them we put onto productions so that get working on shows. We’ve got two on House of the Dragon at the moment, so it’s a really positive way of getting people in and developing their career pathway.”
The company is once again partnering with Watford Palace Theatre for the Hertfordshire Film Festival.
As well as financially supporting the event, it will help with judging, mentoring and holding masterclasses.
Emily said: “These events are brilliant because there is so much hidden talent, some of it is right on our doorstep and it’s opening up the opportunities which historically the film industry wasn’t very good at. It was a very closed shop but thankfully now that’s changing.”
