The Producer's Guide to Virtual Production Space in the UK

Meghan Dubitsky

Learn about the leading virtual production studios and stage spaces available to film and TV productions filming in the UK.

UK productions are spoilt for choice when it comes to studio space. As well as state-of-the-art green screens, underwater tanks and sound stages, the UK offers a plethora of virtual production studios which have caught the eye of major film and HETV productions – not just in London, but across the Nations and Regions.

The growth of virtual production in the UK has been supported by the new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC), under which VFX spend qualifies for a higher rate of 39% compared with the standard 34% for other spend. VFX spend is also excluded from the 80% qualifying spend cap, creating a double benefit. In addition, regional funding bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are increasingly directing support towards productions that use local virtual production facilities, making location choice a strategic decision for producers who want to maximise rebates.

What is virtual production and what makes it unique?

Virtual production uses computer-generated imagery (CGI), augmented reality, motion capture and other technologies to create realistic environments and effects on a virtual set. The technology allows several different location scenes to be created in one controlled environment, which is not only cheaper, easier and more environmentally sustainable, but also allows for a director’s vision to be more accurately brought to life.

In contrast to visual effects, which are typically added post-production, virtual environments and effects are generally captured on set, on camera and in real-time. This allows actors to react realistically to their surroundings and gives creative teams greater control over how a final scene will look. Combine this with rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) both on and off screen, and we have almost certainly entered a new era of film and TV production.

To utilise virtual production, filmmakers need to be able to construct sets from LED-panel walls that display real-time backdrops and visual effects with the help of a game engine. This requires specialist studio space with state-of-the-art technology and trained crew who can bridge the gap between creators’ imaginations and what can be delivered on set.

Luckily, this is where the UK excels, with a number of virtual production stages and studios available to productions.

Virtual production stages in the UK

Warner Bros V Stage

Warner Bros Studios’ V Stage is one of the largest virtual production stages in Europe, offering 24,000 square feet of total space, 2,000 LED screens and 92 motion capture cameras. Bespoke to the facility is an additional 5,544 square feet of LED panels with eight sections that work independently of one another.

One of the first productions to utilise this state-of-the-art stage in Leavesden was House of the Dragon, HBO’s prequel to Game of Thrones, which harnessed virtual production to bring to life the mythical world of Westeros.

House of the Dragon (photograph by HBO)

ILM StageCraft Stage

Hot on the heels of ILM’s existing StageCraft setup at Manhattan Beach Studios (used for Disney’s Emmy Award-winning series The Mandalorian) came its UK sibling at Pinewood Studios.

The new UK stages improve on the original ground-breaking LED volume developed for The Mandalorian. They are larger, utilising substantially more LED panels than ILM’s original stage, and they offer higher resolution and smooth wall-to-ceiling transitions, resulting in better lighting on set and more in-camera finals.

Distortion Studios

The South West’s first permanent virtual production facility, Distortion Studios, opened in 2024, offering a 200 square metre LED stage, mobile LED walls, and full Unreal Engine pipeline support. This development opens virtual production access to productions outside London and strengthens Bristol’s position as a leading UK production hub.

ARRI X CT

Based at ARRI’s UK headquarters in Uxbridge, this hub offers 7,620 square feet of studio space with a 3,692 square foot LED wall. Equipment package deals are available from ARRI Rental, just next door.

The LED volume at ARRI Stage London consists of a main ‘in vision’ curve, two mobile side screens, a dynamic height-adjustable ceiling, and a back curve, while the wraparound configuration can be programmed to display 360-degree imagery. The facility has been used for HETV and feature projects, including Back in Action (Netflix), The Agency (Paramount+) and The Rising (Sky Studios).

Back in Action (photograph by Netflix)

Garden Studios

Launched in 2021, Garden Studios' 3,186 square foot virtual production studio features a 12m x 4m metre LED volume, extendable to 20m x 5m metres with additional panels for totems. To streamline operations and help keep productions on schedule, the virtual production stage sits next to the studio's traditional sound stages.

Based in London, Garden Studios have supported over 120 productions, from ad, games, and music videos to feature films and TV series.

Dock10

Dock10 is a leading TV facility based at Media City in Manchester. Virtual production technology is offered across all 10 of Dock10’s state-of-the-art studios, with spaces from 1,000 to 12,500 square feet.

The industry-leading 4k UHD-ready virtual studio capability seamlessly combines physical, virtual and augmented reality in real time, together with live data. Cameras can be pointed in any direction across the whole of the studio to deliver a continuous on-screen set. Using the latest real-time rendering, you can see how each shot will look as it happens either live in the studio or via secure remote viewing.

MARS Volume by Bild

Also opening in 2021 is Bild Studios, a 15,069 square foot facility in Ruislip, London which has the option to create a 270-degree in-camera LED screen up to 126 x 18 feet, and a 1,894 square foot out-of-camera ceiling LED screen.

MARS Volume is London's premier virtual production facility dedicated to technical precision, designed and run by experienced workflow specialists Bild Studios.

Twickenham Film Studios

In partnership with Samsung and Quite Brilliant, London's Twickenham Film Studios has invested in a new virtual production stage featuring an 8m x 4m LED screen with a 1.8mm pixel pitch (the highest resolution of any screen of its size in London).

The studio also has state-of-the-art scanning, image multiplexing and in-car driving capabilities making it one of the largest and most technically ambitious virtual production studios in the capital. It has been home of numerous feature films and HETV shows, including Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures) and The Northman (Focus Features/Universal Pictures).

Top Gun: Maverick (photograph by Paramount Pictures)

Studio Ulster

Studio Ulster is a unique £72m investment in a large-scale virtual production studio complex in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The so-called ‘movie lab,’ which was approved as part of the UK government's commitment to growing the creative industries, specialises in real-time content production techniques, using CGI, augmented reality and motion capture.

Sugar Studios

Based in Greenwich, London, Sugar Studios has emerged as a versatile production offering. Developed in partnership with industry leaders Universal Pixels, these two state-of-the-art LED stages can facilitate everything from feature films to ads and music videos.

Located just 15 minutes from central London, the studio offers easy access to talent and crew, while its flexible space allows for hybrid productions that combine traditional set builds with virtual production workflows.

Learn more about virtual production in the UK

The creative possibility that comes with the creation of so many cutting-edge virtual production facilities across the UK is an exciting prospect. Investment and development in this area can only maximise the creative industries and, moving forward, continue to secure the UK’s position as a global leader in film and TV production.

To help navigate this ever-expanding ecosystem, the British Film Commission has launched a UK Virtual Production Directory, cataloguing available stages, suppliers and expertise across the country. This directory is a great resource for producers looking to match a project’s scale and budget with the right virtual production facility.

And if you’d like to know more about the UK's incentives, including the enhanced rate for VFX, contact us today! Our UK-based team can provide film and TV tax credit incentive estimates and formal opinions to lenders, manage tax credit claim submissions, work with producers to advise on and finalise budgets and provide deal close support for both independent and multi-party financed projects.