Quick view:
- Garden Studios expanded its London facility with a purpose-built virtual production stage centered on a ground-stacked ROE LED wall and a specialized high-resolution Absen LED ceiling.
- To drive the ceiling's high data demands (10-bit at 50Hz) over a moving track, Garden Studios added Brompton's flagship Tessera SX40 processor paired with Tessera XD 10G data distribution units over TAC fiber.
- Features like ShutterSync (eliminating visual artifacts across frame rates), Dark Magic, PureTone, and 3D LUT integration with Pomfort Livegrade ensure color accuracy and frame-rate flexibility across HETV and commercial shoots.
Brompton Technology is behind a new virtual production stage at Garden Studios, the London virtual production facility and longtime partner. Since opening the U.K.'s first permanently installed VP volume in 2021, the studio has continued to run its original wall on Brompton Tessera S8 LED video processors, and has now added Brompton's flagship Tessera SX40, paired with Tessera XD 10G data distribution units, to power a new, larger stage purpose-built for driving and simulated travel work.
The new stage is centered on a 78.74x16.4-foot (24x5m) ground-stacked curved LED wall from ROE and a 32.8x16.4-foot (10x5m) high-resolution LED ceiling from Absen, mounted on a custom rig developed with Cirrolite that allows the volume to move freely within, above or around the stage, and doubling as a front wall for 360-degree shooting. The ceiling can travel up to 6506 feet front-to-back and switch from a fully enclosed setup to a rain-ready configuration in under a minute, removing the need to reposition vehicles between shots to line up reflections.
The ceiling's four degrees of movement, and the need to drive it at 10-bit, 50Hz, called for substantial bandwidth alongside flexibility and reliability. “SX40 processors paired with XD data distribution units over TAC fiber were the obvious choice, providing the flexibility, bandwidth and reliability needed for such a dynamic system,” Rich Phillips, CTO at Garden Studios explained.
For Patrick Goodden, technical sales manager (U.K. and Ireland) at Brompton Technology, who has worked closely with Garden Studios since its first volume opened, the story is as much about longevity as it is about new hardware: "They've taken the S8s processors bought five years ago and are using them for the main wall in a brand-new studio, meaning they only had to invest in a new SX40 for the ceiling," he said.“The reason they needed an SX40 for the ceiling is because it's on a moving track, going from horizontal to vertical. With S8s, cabling runs directly out the back of the processor, so you'd need to run a thick loom of cables to the wall. With the SX40, they can run one or two fiber cables and split out, which makes it far easier to manage a moving ceiling. On our side, they work seamlessly together; you get the exact same colour output, and the sync works the same.”
The relationship between Brompton and Garden Studios has also seen the Brompton team support their events and open days, assist with testing, and contribute to the studio’s virtual production training courses.
Over the past five years, Garden Studios has delivered more than 150 productions across its virtual production stages, with many high-end television clients choosing the facility for driving scenes because of its purpose-built stage and team experience. This makes color accuracy and frame-rate flexibility central to the setup. Garden's HETV clients often shoot at 23.98fps, while commercial productions typically work at 25fps or 50fps, and Brompton's patented ShutterSync feature helps eliminate artefacts across shutter angles such as 172.8 degrees.
Dark Magic and Extended Bit Depth optimize the panels for low-brightness operation without visible banding, while PureTone calibration keeps colour accurate even in the dim areas typical of a VP volume. Full 3D LUT support, with a 17-cube LUT covering 4,913 colours, integrates directly with Pomfort Livegrade, allowing DITs and DPs to grade the LED wall using tools they already know.
"Our commitment to sustainability extends beyond our B Corp certification. We believe the industry must do more to reduce waste and manage its carbon footprint,” added Phillips. “We believe that making careful purchasing decisions and maintaining equipment properly helps extend its useful lifespan, reducing the need for frequent technology refresh cycles and lowering overall environmental impact.”
