AVK and Satore Studio deliver Disguise xR studio in Portugal
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Lisbon-based AVK Soluçoes Audiovisuais have teamed up with Satore Studio to develop a new virtual studio powered by Disguise xR and featuring the latest Disguise vx 2 and rx media servers.
The studio will become a permanent installation enabling AVK to deliver immersive productions in TV broadcast, film, music videos, advertising and corporate events.
“When we decided to invest in xR technology, Disguise put us in contact with Tupac Martir, Founder of Satore Studio, who had just moved to Portugal,” recalls Rui Fonseca, Video Engineer at AVK. “His experience and portfolio reassured us of the decision to move ahead with the technology. Since then we have been collaborating on all of the steps in building the new studio.”
Satore Studio have been among the early adopters of the xR workflow, with Martir part of the Disguise xR insider group testing the software ahead of its gold release. “We have already encountered a lot of the challenges faced by Rui and his team in the past year, so we have the ability to advise them. The studio will open up the opportunity to work with a lot of medium-sized and independent filmmakers and to attract some international projects to Portugal.”
A virtual solution to cancelled events
AVK is part of a group with 250 employees that spans all corners of the AV market, from corporate events to exhibitions, television and brand presentations. The team was introduced to Disguise last November, according to AVK Board Member, Paulo Rodam. “We started searching for a way to overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic and find a way for our clients to hold their events virtually. We were looking for the best tools to build something new and out of the box, and Disguise gave us those tools.”
“What made us choose xR was the innovation of the technology - its potential to merge AR and MR completely amazed us. We can see the future of this technology and want to be part of its journey."
Video Engineer, AVK
AVK’s 300-square-metre xR studio is supported by 500 square metres of production facilities, make up and dressing rooms and private car parking. It contains a 12m x 5m LED floor and a mixed 7m straight and 7m curved LED video wall for shooting flexibility, as well as two cameras equipped with Mo-Sys tracking, with plans to upgrade to a third camera. To facilitate the xR workflow, the team invested in a Disguise vx 2 media server and two rx platforms for hosting content from Unreal Engine and Notch render engines. AVK also joined the Disguise cluster rendering beta testing programme.
Confidence in the system
Clients will see numerous advantages to working in the xR studio, Fonseca points out. “Complete immersion of the talent, little or no preparation for talent/presenters, no green spillage, amazing scenarios and AR, a natural eye line, and the confidence that this system will adjust to their needs and grow with their events.”
AVK’s studio has already hosted some internal events and a project with Martir and the APDC, Portugal’s largest telecoms association, that served as a proof of concept for the new space. “The concept for APDC’s virtual conference was developed by Tupac and was a very profitable event for us,” notes Rodam. “We have several projects in hand for the near future, including corporate events, advertising shoots and television shows.
“We see xR having a great role in the future of virtual production. Of course, we’re all hoping for physical events to return safely as soon as possible, but virtual studios and xR will remain an important part of our core business. We believe xR will keep growing, and we want to grow with it, as we scale this studio and build new ones in the near future.”
AVK Board Member