EVENT FOCUS
MARS STUDIOS With a number of studios offering performance spaces behind closed doors, Bild Studios has taken the concept to a new level with a fully functional, COVID-19 ready warehouse, offering a top-of-the-line disguise xR performance space. TPi speaks to some of those responsible for bringing this new space into (extended) reality…
Since the global pandemic, there have been a number of companies and individuals who have turned their attention to the development of studio spaces for artists to film live performances. The scale of these projects has varied from stripped-back acoustic sessions, all the way to the cutting edge of live video rendered backgrounds and extended reality (xR) sets. But the space that Bild Studios has created offers something out of this world – it’s no wonder they named it MARS Studios. With the aid of video rental house and LED supplier, 80six, Bild’s MARS project is a specially designed performance space in a secure location in Surrey Quays. With COVD-19 test stations on the door, plenty of room for social distancing for crew and a designated artist area to keep them at a distance, it’s the ideal facility in which every step for an artist or crew
member has been thoroughly thought out to ensure everyone’s safety. Walking TPi through the past few months of work was Bild’s Rowan Pitts. Speaking via Zoom from one of the MARS personal work pods, he discussed the history of the project. “The technology we have at MARS – such as camera tracking data being used to drive real-time content with disguise xR technology – is something we have been investigating for the past four years,” stated Pitts. However, with COVID-19 putting an immediate end to live events, the company, alongside 80six, began in earnest to explore this technology and how it could be utilised in the studio environment. “Like many others in our industry, the day lockdown happened, all our immediate work was put on hold, which led to a conversation with Rowan 18
