StylePhotos Studios

COMPANY: ARRI Solutions

LOCATION: Mississauga, Canada

ARRI Solutions has delivered conceptual design, consultancy, and technical integration services for StylePhotos Studios, an advanced production facility in Canada. The studio is primarily designed for e-commerce and commercial customers but is also equipped to support high-end feature productions.

Located in Mississauga, Ontario, the 12,000 sq ft studio facilities comprise seven dedicated, modular areas for e-commerce content creation. The studio environment includes a 46ft by 15ft immersive LED volume, a 75ft by 16ft curved cyclorama, as well as bespoke studio sets, such as a kitchen set for food product commercials and cooking shows.

“E-commerce requires high volumes of content that needs to be produced in the quickest and most cost-effective way, often to very demanding deadlines. A key touchpoint for StylePhotos Studios is to ensure that our customers are reassured that production values are not compromised at any part of the production pipeline,” explained Khasan Aripov, CEO StylePhotos Studios. “By commissioning facilities that are designed around immersive, cutting-edge technology, clients have access to the very latest products and workflows that will maximise their time on-set.”

ARRI Solutions was engaged at a very early stage in the project, collaborating closely with StylePhotos Studios’ founders, Khasan Aripov and his brother Husan, to realise their ambitious vision for the facilities. The team provided concept design and engineering for the main studio areas, consultancy on power systems and distribution, and camera and lighting integration throughout the facilities.

“Being involved from the outset of this project was invaluable, as we were able to consult with the architect, general contractor, and engineering teams to ensure practical elements of the studio build were coordinated with construction, for example aligning planning for air conditioning units and the electrical system,” explained Stephan Ukas-Bradley, Vice President Solutions ARRI Americas. The team also designed lighting integration across the facility, with an array of ARRI SkyPanels and ARRI Orbiters providing high-quality lighting sources. In the LED volume, lighting and cameras are integrated into Unreal Engine to deliver authentic image quality within the volume. “While high-quality lighting is integral to filmmaking, it could be argued that it is even more important in advertising content, where accurate, authentic colour and texture replication is critical,” continued UkasBradley. “We took care to ensure the lighting design was tailored to each of the spaces within the studios, and that it would retain as much colour and detail as possible.”

The wide-ranging project required close collaboration and communication with a range of technical partners, in particular for the LED volume, where ARRI Solutions worked closely with partners including Absen, Brompton, MRMOCO, and Mo-Sys.

To complement the studio spaces and deliver a full turnkey service, StylePhotos Studios has also invested in an extensive range of high-end production equipment from leading manufacturers, which customers can rent for their projects. The inventory includes the ALEXA 35, ARRI lenses, ECS (Hi-5), camera stabiliser systems including TRINITY 2, lighting fixtures, and an extensive portfolio of accessories. “We want our clients to have access to the very best filmmaking equipment, and by having a full range in-house, they can focus entirely on their project, knowing they have everything they need to bring their creative vision to life,” Aripov continued.

StylePhotos Studios is now welcoming customers into the new facilities. “The scope of the project was already ambitious, but then we also had to contend with restrictions during the pandemic,” concluded Aripov. “The ARRI Solutions team worked tirelessly, not only during the design and installation phases. They also delivered invaluable support to our team as we prepared for our first commercial projects.” www.arri.com