ReadySet Studios, the pioneering Amsterdam-based full-service virtual production studio, announces its first-year anniversary. Launched in March 2022 by award-winning Dutch filmmakers, visual effects professionals, and creative technologists – Idse Grotenhuis, Managing Director/Founder/Producer; Dennis Kleyn, Founder/VFX Supervisor/VP Producer; Nils Pauwels, Partner/Head of Virtual Production; and Florian Legters, Founder/Studio Manager/Production Designer – ReadySet Studios is considered the most advanced, full-service LED virtual production facility in the Netherlands.
Grotenhuis says the studio enjoyed a banner first year making virtual production and In-Camera VFX (ICVFX) accessible to a wide range of productions, including feature films, episodic television, and commercials that challenged the traditional practices of production and storytelling with sustainability practices at its core. These practices are vital to the creative process, production management, and financing.
"Our virtual production LED stage and ICVFX expertise is positively impacting the film and television-making industry in the Netherlands, and beyond," Grotenhuis says. "With continued acceleration towards real-time workflows, we welcome content producers from around the globe – especially those often ‘neglected’ mid-range productions – seeking the highest quality production standards and sustainable practices.”
ReadySet Studios Highlights: ReadySet Studios was founded in collaboration with Planet X, the leading visual effects studio in the Netherlands. Working in tandem, the two studios offer storytellers end-to-end visual effects and virtual production workflow solutions focused on innovation and sustainability to integrate the real and virtual worlds. The 5500-square-foot facility incorporates proprietary tools and pipeline integrations that include:
- Latest versions of Unreal Engine, featuring Lumen and Nanite technology and new real-time global illumination and intelligent geometry streaming capabilities.
- A 14 x 5.5m (46 x 18ft) LED curved screen from ROE Visual capable of displaying still photos and pre-shot 2D plates, as well as elaborate 3D Unreal Engine scenes and environments.
- The StYpe RedSpy 3 camera tracking solution ensures real-time match-moving of the physical camera to virtual environments with increased accuracy and less latency.
- In collaboration with ASSIMILATE, ReadySet Studios is further developing color grading and finishing functions in SCRATCH for the most efficient real-time 360-degree plate playback for a streamlined LED virtual production workflow.
Meeting Demand for Automotive Realism A year after their launch, ReadySet Studios will introduce a 360-degree, turnkey Car Rig to meet the growing demand for capturing automotive realism in the safe environment of a virtual production studio. Developed internally, the ReadySet Car Rig’s advanced stabilization system features seven high-resolution Panasonic cameras providing an efficient workflow to fully control weather conditions and fostering better communication and fewer logistical challenges.
First-Year Project Highlights A few of the ReadySet Studios' first-year project highlights include:
"Burning Daylight" – For the Dutch entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, ReadySet worked on the" Burning Daylight" music video for artists Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper. The teams at ReadySet created three virtual sets that allowed the VP team to cross borders between day and night and quickly show locations that would otherwise prove impractical in a real-life shoot.
"Rampvlucht" (The Crash) – A conspiracy thriller about a flight crash and investigations by the Dutch parliament between 1992-1998, The Crash embodied the first extensive use of ICVFX in a Dutch drama series. ReadySet facilitated the real-time digital environments of the Parliament spaces and Amsterdam's Airport traffic tower in Unreal Engine, created by Planet X. The production won the Best Drama Series Award at the 2022 Nederlands Film Festival.
"Modern Love Amsterdam" – Airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the Netherlands and worldwide, Modern Love Amsterdam, based on the well-known New York Times column, relied on ReadySet to turn physical locations into virtual ones. Virtual production techniques provided the filmmakers ultimate control over weather, light, and environments for scenes set during Christmas that were shot mid-summer.
See additional ReadySet Studios project highlights
ReadySet Studios, the most advanced, full-service LED virtual production facility in the Netherlands, celebrates its one-year anniversary of inspiring creative productions from around the world.
About ReadySet Studios
ReadySet Studios, located in Amsterdam, is the premier virtual production stage in the Netherlands, specializing in in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) for feature, episodic and commercial workflows. ReadySet Studios was founded in collaboration with Planet X Technologies (PLXT), a division of Planet X, Amsterdam's leading visual effects studio since 2004.
The studio incorporates state-of-the-art, real-time render engine technology to support production creatives with optimized, end-to-end visual effects and an ICVFX production pipeline centered on the guiding principles of innovation and sustainability.
ReadySet Studios values continuous tech development and is committed to advancing the understanding of virtual production techniques and standards. The "RSS Lab" blog explores the latest virtual production technology research and development, while the ReadySet Studios Discord channel is a shared online knowledge community for VP professionals from around the globe. The studio also hosts training and education seminars for creative professionals to advance virtual production best practices.
ReadySet Studios Resources
ReadySet Studios Social Channels
All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.