Virtual production specialists StoryFutures and Final Pixel have partnered to upskill and innovate in the creative Industries.
The alliance will see Final Pixel and StoryFutures work together at Royal Holloway, where the teams plan to address creativity and skills gaps in the future of media production.
The partnership builds on StoryFutures’ reputation for research and development (R&D) programmes in the creative industries and Final Pixel’s expertise in virtual production.
Final Pixel is taking up a residency at Royal Holloway’s Futures Studio, a virtual studio that is jointly funded by Surrey County Council. This is expected to enable Final Pixel to extend its Virtual Production training opportunities, while also providing technical, innovation, and training support for local companies and students as part of the StoryFutures collaboration.
Linked to the CoSTAR National Lab for Creative Industries R&D, led by Royal Holloway, the partnership reportedly has the potential to help address national skills shortages in emerging technologies such as generative AI for virtual production.
.jpg){kind=tracking}
Amanda Murphy, Head of Partnerships and Training at StoryFutures for Royal Holloway, said: “By uniting our resources and expertise, we can really innovate to enable diverse creatives to get hands-on with exciting new technologies in our onsite studio, built for the future of production, to drive new forms of media.”
Michael McKenna, CEO and Director of Virtual Production at Final Pixel, added: “This will enable us to collaboratively develop solutions to address skills gaps and drive R&D innovation in emerging areas of technology.”
Studio Ulster, a virtual production facility spanning 75,000ft², recently launched in Northern Ireland. Discover more here.
Netflix withdraws from race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery
Netflix has withdrawn from the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, leaving the way clear for Paramount Skydance to win the months-long battle for the historic Hollywood studio.
Avatar: Fire and Ash leads at Visual Effects Society awards
Avatar: Fire and Ash was the big winner at the Visual Effects Society’s 24th Annual VES Awards, taking home seven awards in total, including the top prize of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.
UK set to enhance regulation of major streamers such as Netflix and Disney+
The UK's biggest video-on-demand services will have to follow the same content and accessibility rules as traditional broadcasters, under new government legislation.
Charity publishes set of principles for mentally healthy productions
The Film and TV Charity has unveiled its new ‘Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions’ to help address systemic pressures and poor working practices across the UK screen sector, aiming to improve culture and conditions on productions.
Warner Bros Discovery and BBC report strong Winter Olympics viewing
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and the BBC have both reported strong viewership results for their coverage of the Olympic Winter Games for Milano-Cortina 2026.
