Amazon Studios inaugurates virtual production studio powered by AWS

Amazon’s new production arm, Amazon Studios Virtual Production (ASVP), has unveiled its new Stage 15 virtual production studio, which harnesses the power of AWS cloud services.

The stage combines two previously existing studios to accommodate a 24-metre diameter, 8-metre high LED wall. The first feature film to be shot on the new Stage 15 will be the Christmas family comedy Candy Cane Lane, directed by Reginald “Reggie” Hudlin and starring Eddie Murphy.

ASVP will be responsible for coordinating each Stage 15 project, which is fully connected to the AWS cloud as part of a cloud production ecosystem. The facility provides a camera-to-cloud workflow, with direct connection from Stage 15 to AWS S3 storage so that dailies are instantly available to creative teams from any location. The ASVP team is also developing a VFX and virtual production asset management system that will live in the AWS cloud and allow production teams to catalogue, search, preview and reuse production assets. This powerful backend system will reduce the time productions typically experience when transferring files and assets from set to editorial, VFX and post-production facilities and vendors.

In addition to the virtual studio, the Stage 15 venue will soon be accompanied by a 2-storey building, dubbed “The Sandbox at Stage 15”, which will include different departments in areas such as virtual location scouting, capture, technology research, a green screen studio and a VIP area for executives, filmmakers and guests. This space will also feature a second smaller LED stage, with a fully mobile LED wall, camera tracking system and control cart, along with an engineering workshop, scanning, 3D printing, production workspace and equipment storage.