Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has announced that Pixomondo (PXO), its Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy-winning virtual production and visual effects business acquired in 2022, will assume operation and management of SPE’s first state-of-the-art LED virtual production stage. Built by Sony Innovation Studios (SIS), SPE’s award-winning entertainment technology company, the LED volume is located on Stage 7 on the historic Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City.
The stage was established in 2022 and is the world’s largest that uses Sony Corporation’s high brightness and wide color gamut Crystal LED display panels, created in collaboration with top engineers at SIS and Sony Corporation for use in virtual production. PXO will assume oversight of the LED virtual production stage later this month from SIS.
Most recently, the stage was used as the backdrop for New York-based recording artist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist INIKO’s music video “Jericho.” A first-of-its-kind collaboration among INIKO, Sony Immersive Music Studios and SIS, the music video was shot on the virtual production stage and captured with Sony’s VENICE digital cinema cameras coupled with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
PXO brings a global infrastructure to Stage 7. With over 30 virtual production projects to its credit, PXO has deployed, operated, and set the industry standard of virtual production across North America and the U.K. Stage 7 will become PXO’s third permanent LED stage and is geared toward filmmakers interested in innovative production solutions for commercials, TV and film, and with a specific focus on complex vehicle process work using in-camera VFX. The LED volume will be led by PXO executive producer Chris Cox and supported by PXO’s world class team of artists, technologists, and producers.
“It is an exciting and transformative time for PXO, as we evolve our L.A. business to be housed on the Sony Pictures lot, bringing us right into the heart of the filmmaking process,” said PXO CEO Jonny Slow. “PXO L.A. has a new home, fantastic new teammates and creative services, all supported by one of the strongest technology companies in the world. The adaptability of the volume on Stage 7 will bring a new dimension to virtual production in L.A.’s creative ecosystem.”
Following the transition of the stage operation, SIS will continue to pioneer entertainment technology by developing new technologies for creative industries.
“Sony Innovation Studios has been spearheading Sony’s virtual production technology since its inception in 2018,” said Masaki Nakayama sr. VP and head of SIS. “We built the LED volume for creatives to be able to realize their vision without limitations. It has been an exciting collaboration with Sony Corporation and Sony Pictures, leveraging all the technologies and motion picture/TV production know-how that Sony has to offer. SIS is excited to continue innovating in entertainment technology and is looking forward to seeing the Stage 7 volume evolve and flourish.”
SIS is an award-winning entertainment technology company established in 2018. Following its successful acquisition of Nurulize in 2019, SIS continues to develop the patented Atom View technology that revolutionizes the use of high-quality photorealistic 3D content. The technology was used for productions including Shark Tank, which earned SIS an Advanced Imaging Society Award for Best Use of Virtual Production and was used to capture a virtual model of the Men in Black: International movie set, which was used for an NBA Finals co-promotion spot. SIS holds dozens of patents in the virtual production and volumetric technology field.
PXO has built its creative legacy through work on films such as Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Hugo, multiple seasons of HBO’s Emmy-winning Game of Thrones, recent zeitgeist series including SPT’s The Boys, House of the Dragon and Winning Time, and the recent theatrical releases John Wick Chapter 4 and Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story.
