Recode XR Studio

Recode XR Studio was founded in 2020 and was formed from a strategic partnership between event production specialist Gareth Turner and VFX supervisor Paul McHugh. The pair bringing together two decades of industry experience which enabled a full-service, turnkey offering. Gareth specialised in high production services for the entertainment, film, sports and corporate events industries whilst Paul brought in expert knowledge across VFX, VR, AR and game-engine content.

Recode’s mission is to introduce VP technology to the entire filmmaking and content production industry while delivering visual output at the highest possible quality, improving sustainability, reducing production emissions and offering cost-effectiveness versus traditional filming methods. Their facilities include a 16m x 4m 150 degree curved Absen LED wall and a further 8sqm of movable totem screens, supported by Brompton processing, 8K cameras, LED lighting and an Ncam real-time tracking system.

Project Background

Virtual Production (VP) is a method of production that combines the physical world with virtual elements using real-time software. This can be achieved through different methods such as visualisation, performance capture or using an LED wall. One of the key benefits to VP is that creative decisions, such as moving elements within a scene, can be seen in real-time and this makes collaboration a much more stream-lined process.

VP studios use real-time 3D engines, derived from the gaming industry, to create a virtual set, display it on the LED wall, then sync the engines with cameras on set for enhanced realism and depth of perspective. VP technology takes advantage of the real-time rendering capabilities of game engines and the ability to apply visual effects to a scene in real-time to create a much more collaborative workflow and shortens production times due to the nature of not needing to transport teams and equipment to physical locations.

Virtual production is the fastest growing area in filmmaking, however establishing a cutting-edge studio requires expert knowledge and specialist hardware to effectively power the large LED walls involved. The Recode team had previously worked with the Scan Pro Video on projects carried out by pre-collaboration companies SBS Visual and Carbon Digital.

Project Approach

Recode approached Scan to upgrade its existing NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 GPU powered workstation to meet performance demands following an upgrade to Aximetry Virtual Production Dual Engine (DE) platform. The new workstation needed to be able to support Aximetry DE and their 3D content creation tool of choice, Unreal Engine, powering the LED wall. Following initial contact, there was several months of research, development and proof of concept to ascertain the required specifications of the workstation, finally settling on two custom-designed 4U rack-mounted systems. Each configuration included an NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada GPU, 32-core AMD Threadripper PRO CPU, 256GB system memory and a Blackmagic Design DeckLink 8K Pro capture card.

Alongside the new workstations, Recode also upgraded other elements of its infrastructure with larger capacity SSDs for its archive and Asus ProArt monitors for its previs content creation PCs.

Project Results

Recode’s two new VP workstations have delivered all the performance gains expected from the upgraded Aximetry and Unreal solution. The studio has since been used to produce a number of flagship ITV, BBC & Sky shows, including Coronation Street - the first UK soap to employ VP technology. Learn more about this case study by watching the video below.

As a testament to the high quality of the studio's output using the new workstations, Recode has since been appointed ambassador for Aximetry VP Software, and have relocated to the Space Studios complex. Space Studios is a 17-acre, six-stage purpose-built facility for film, high-end TV and commercial production located in the heart of Manchester, where Recode aims to be the premier facility for VP in the north-west of England.

The Scan Partnership

The Scan Pro Video team has acted as a trusted advisor and technology partner helping to plan, design and build the 3XS Systems VP workstations behind the Recode XR Studios upgrade. 3XS is the in-house systems integration division at Scan, building bespoke custom-designed workstations and servers for many specific use cases including professional video, audio, graphics and AI.

Project Wins

UK first of VP technology employed in a soap - Coronation Street

Award of Aximetry VP Software ambassador status

Reduced production emissions for partner organisations

Recode has gone on to work with Manchester City Football Club

Recode has gone on to create the season finale for Sky’s Brassic

Scan Pro Video and 3XS has worked in collaboration with studio executives to commission systems that would not only power their large LED wall, but also work seamlessly with existing software, camera and lighting aspects of their studio environment.

“When it comes to a workstation for this type of business, where clients are here with a lot of money riding on the job getting delivered that day, we wanted a system that would be solid and had good support. Scan’s and 3XS’s reputation is exemplary, so that’s why we chose them.”

Paul McHugh

Virtual Production Director, Recode XR Studios

“The support from Scan and Space Studios has been amazing and we cannot wait to start work on the many new projects we are discussing which encompass everything from a sci-fi film, a period drama, multiple game trailers and some very ambitious commercials.”

Gareth Turner

Technical Director, Recode XR Studios

Speak to an expert

You’ve seen how Scan has helped Recode XR Studios to upgrade its infrastructure for cutting-edge virtual production. Contact our expert Pro Video team to discuss your visualisation requirements and or discuss any projects you have.