Pure brilliance
Posted on Apr 13, 2026 by Admin
Quite Brilliant’s next-gen LED screen delivers picture quality beyond any other stage in the UK
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Since opening at Twickenham Film Studios last summer, Quite Brilliant has chalked up an impressive slate of productions – spanning features, adverts, music videos and social content – for clients including Warburtons, Bentley and Coke. A big part of the mission was to offer a truly ‘user-friendly’ service, helping to make virtual production (VP) accessible and affordable without compromising on quality. Having worked in the field since its earliest days (Quite Brilliant put on the first commercial VP demo in the UK), and operated a wide range of LED Volumes, the team came into the Twickenham build with a clear sense of the current challenges and how to address them.
Pixel perfect
Something they knew they had to nail was the quality of the LED screen. “Coming from VFX backgrounds, we always struggled with the fact that all the other screens have surface mounted pixels (SMD),” explains Russ Shaw, head of VP at Quite Brilliant. “No matter the pixel pitch, the standard LED screen cannot reproduce true blacks, especially when a lot of light is projected against the screens. This is why so much VP work has a slightly grey, milky look.”
The Quite Brilliant team opted for Samsung panels, drawn in by the brand’s cutting-edge Micro LED tech. “The result is night and day compared to other screens,” enthuses Shaw. “We can achieve true blacks and it has a contrast ratio of 35000:1 which is 5x the other LED volumes we’ve worked on before. We were prepared to invest more in this technology to ensure the quality stood out from other screens. We still have some SMD screens in the studio and when you put them side by side with the Samsung, you can really see the difference.”
The same pursuit of perfection is also evident in the rest of the stage design. The volume incorporates both a curved and a flat section of LED wall, while overhead, a retractable LED ceiling measuring more than 100 sq m delivers up to 10,000 nits, giving productions enough level for convincing daylight work. There are also multiple wild walls, some with a 1.8mm pixel pitch, allowing them to be used as practical shooting surfaces where needed. They also sunk the LED wall below floor level – meaning no gap between floor and screen so productions don’t have to pay for extra staging. A permanent 6m turntable – ideal for car shoots – is built into the floor.
Another common challenge in VP is a simple lack of floorspace and the time that it takes to set up and strike, which is effectively downtime for a production. By having two adjoining studios, both with LED screen options, Quite Brilliant can offer continuous shooting options that save customers both time and money. It also has four scalable packages that are based on screen size, so productions only pay for what they need, alongside a bespoke pop-up screen designed for second units and smaller shoots.
More than just a stage
Beyond the impressive infrastructure and tech stack, one of Quite Brilliant’s key USPs is the top-quality support it offers customers. “There’s so much more to VP than simply dry hiring the screen and building a few assets. It is about holding the client’s hand to help them get the very most out of VP,” stresses managing director Chris Chaundler.
The team’s background in high-end production and VFX makes it well versed in working with production companies, agencies and brands, and the standards required. “We are all about collaboration and flexibility. Some clients require simple dry-hire and light-touch support, while others need a full service,” he continues.
In practice, that often means involvement from early development through to shooting. For around 80% of projects, Quite Brilliant will create the environments via its Virtual Art Department. The studio is also the first to extensively use Chaos Arena, which uses the V-Ray render engine, rather than the Unreal Engine. “Not only are 3D assets a better quality, but we’re finding this workflow integrates better with VFX and post houses and the skillsets they have in-house,” explains Shaw. Alongside asset creation, the team is increasingly using LiDAR scanning to capture real-world locations, including large-scale commercial and public spaces.
New tools, same support
A big recent development has been the adoption of AI, which now comes into practically every conversation, says Chaundler. The team has developed workflows that circumnavigate issues with IP, and many of their projects now feature 100% AI backgrounds. “We don’t use AI in isolation, it’s always combined with other traditional VFX programs and workflows,” assures Chaundler.
Regardless of the scale, all their projects include creative consultancy and VP support from development through to the shoot. Pre-production testing on the stage is a key part of that process. “There’s nothing worse than getting on set and the production not being ready, or the client, director or DOP having to worry about the on-screen content on the shoot day. Our job is to make sure everything from the VP side runs smoothly.”
Ultimately, says Chaundler, it’s all about going above and beyond for clients. Even if they’re just hiring the stage, the team offers its full support with all the benefit of its experience. That begins with advising about the suitability of VP from the outset, taking into account the project’s goals, timeline and budget. From there, they then aim to make achieving the creative vision as simple as possible, giving clients access to the stage and screen in creative development/pre-production.
Finally, their ethos is to “never overstep the mark, as this is their project not ours. We’ll give advice and consultancy, but the decision and direction always sits with the client.”
Looking ahead
As VP technology advances, Chaundler thinks that the biggest disrupter on the horizon will be the interplay with AI, but always with human talent and creativity in the driving seat. “Anyone can master some prompts but you can’t beat 25+ years of experience in the industry and understanding the requirements and dynamics of the filmmaker,” he sums up.
With budgets tightening and expectations continuing to rise, the pressure is on to find workable solutions for filmmakers. Quite Brilliant’s approach combines production prowess with cutting-edge tools, building workflows that are practical as well as technically ambitious. With its friendly and flexible approach, it’s the ideal partner for a smooth and successful collaboration.
Find out more at quitebrilliant.co.uk
This article appears in the April/May 2026 issue of Definition
