Belfast will soon see the development of a new £25 million (€28.5 million) film studio complex with a focus on cutting-edge virtual production techniques.
On a plot of land close to the current Belfast Harbour Studios, Studio Ulster will be constructed at Giant’s Park in the city’s north.
Ulster University will develop the project with support from Northern Ireland Screen in collaboration with Belfast Harbour.
The facility will have a number of enormous stages and a research and development centre of excellence, adding to Belfast’s rapidly growing status as a world-class film production hub.
It will specialise in film, broadcast, animation, games and immersive technologies.
A motion capture stage, a 3D scanning stage for full body, facial, and object scanning, as well as two large-scale virtual production stages with in-camera visual effects, will all be housed in the 57,000-square-foot building. An R&D smart stage with virtual production technologies will also be present.
The studios are expected to be completely operational and available for filming by early 2024. Construction will start next month.