Industry briefings: May 2025
Posted on Jun 4, 2025 by Admin
May’s round-up highlights new partnerships, facility launches and funding opportunities across the industry
Distortion & MyWorld team up for new Bristol R&D hub
In another step forward for Bristol’s burgeoning creative scene, Distortion Studios and MyWorld are collaborating on The Sheds – a research and development hub owned by the University of Bristol. Bringing together the combined creative powers of Distortion, the city’s first virtual production studio, and MyWorld, a creative technology programme, the project is looking to ‘grow Bristol’s vibrant ecosystem and challenge the dominance of London’s production studios’, according to the duo.
“This partnership is an exciting step for us – it’s about showing what can happen when two brilliant Bristol teams join forces,” said Jonathan Brigden, MD at Distortion Studios. “Bristol is an important regional hub for the film and TV industry, and we are building a centre of excellence for creative technology here in the south-west. There’s so much talent, energy and creativity right here in Bristol. It’s been a joy working with the MyWorld team already, so making it official just feels right. We’re proud to be part of something that’s helping our city shine even brighter.”
In addition to supporting The Sheds’ VP space, Distortion is working with MyWorld as part of a groundbreaking R&D programme exploring the use of volumetric capture in VP workflows. This project – conducted in partnership with CAMERA at the University of Bath – hopes to help shape the future of VP techniques in the UK and beyond.
“We’re proud to be partnering with Distortion Studios; the in-house expertise that Distortion has created supports our vision for creativity, experimentation and technical excellence,” said Oscar De Mello, operations director at MyWorld. “Together, we aim to make The Sheds not just a facility, but a hub for discovery and collaboration that draws people into the beating heart of the west of England’s creative tech scene.”
3Particle unveils Malaysian Virtual production centre
3Particle has launched XyperReal Stage, a top-end VP research and innovation centre located in Malaysia. The impressive tech stack includes Brompton Technology’s LED video processing with PIXREAL’s LED panels, using Macroblock driver ICs, Mo-Sys camera tracking and more – powering film, TV, live events, broadcast media, fixed installations, immersive experiences and location-based entertainment (LBE).
Brompton’s Tessera LED processing tech plays a key role in the workflow, delivering a full Tessera feature set, while the facility is also working with VFX expert Hussin Khan (EFXCO), a certified Unreal Engine instructor, for a specialised educational pipeline.
Levelling up on-set power
As we’re all aware, reliable internet connectivity can make or break a shoot. Fortunately, workflow solutions company Mission Digital has been working to solve this challenge with a brand-new, high-speed internet service designed for the film and TV industry. Promising seamless support for productions large and small, Mission Gateway brings secure, stable 4G, 5G and satellite connectivity – even in the most remote locations. A plug-and-play set-up with a battery-powered design, it needs barely any power infrastructure and comes with full support and remote access to kit.
Filmlight Colour Awards open for entries
The FilmLight Colour Awards return for the fifth year, offering colourists, production companies and post houses the chance to put forward their projects for consideration up until 31 July. Open to colourists working on any grading system, the awards are independently judged by a panel of esteemed cinematographers, fellow colourists and other high-profile industry figures; recent judges have included DOPs Lawrence Sher and Mandy Walker. The categories up for grabs are: theatrical feature; television series/episodic (including documentary/non-fiction); commercial; music video; emerging talent (open to colourists aged 18-35, for commercial or music video projects); and spotlight, which recognises colourists who have contributed to the creative impact of a film with a budget of less than $3 million.
Since launching in 2021, the awards have become a coveted accolade in the world of colourists – last year attracting 500 entries from nearly 50 countries. As ever, the winners will be announced at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November.
Short takes
NFTS launches course in AI for film and television
A new course from the National Film & Television School taps into the need for critical, creative and ethical engagement with AI, equipping students to enhance their creativity while examining AI’s challenges.
Company 3 expands
Company 3 London has levelled up its sound department by adding an ADR suite, boosting its capabilities in delivering high-quality dialogue replacement for film and TV projects.
Screen Scotland relaunches £1m post-production fund
Screen Scotland has relaunched its £1 million PGF Project Post fund to attract high-end post and VFX work to Scottish facilities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
TTArtisan launches affordable 35mm dual-bokeh cine lens
New from TTArtisan, the 35mm T2.1 dual-bokeh cine lens offers a slider to switch between Soft and Bubble bokeh effects. Priced at $380, this fully manual lens is an affordable way of achieving two looks in one lens.
Want to hear about more news from this year? Read April’s industry briefings.
This article appears in the May/June 2025 issue of Definition
