Students from Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh College and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have been stepping into the future of film and performance through a new collaboration with the ECA Immersive CoSTAR Realtime Lab, based at First Stage Studios in Leith.
The CoSTAR Realtime Lab is a new virtual production facility that offers a space for R&D with cutting-edge technology, creativity and collaboration. Part of the UK-wide CoSTAR Network, it gives students, researchers and industry professionals a dedicated facility to experiment with real-time visual effects, motion capture and immersive storytelling techniques.
Over recent months, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh College and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students have got hands-on experience with the lab’s advanced LED volume and motion tracking systems, the same kind of technology that is used in major film and television productions. Working alongside academic staff, students have produced their own short films, learning about the creative possibilities offered through virtual production tools and how it can be used to enhance storytelling.
The studio has welcomed students working across a number of disciplines, from performance and production, to sound design and animation. For many, this has been their first opportunity to try these technologies and gain real experience in the rapidly expanding field of virtual production and immersive media. This has enabled the convergence of different creative practices and encouraged collaboration across art forms.
The chance to experiment in the ECA Immersive CoSTAR Realtime Lab workshop is further supported through its partnership with leading film-studio, First Stage Studios, and a series of development workshops and high-profile events. Students at Edinburgh College of Art were recently visited OSCAR-nominated directors Carlos Fernández de Vigo and Lorena Ares from Professor Octopus AI_LAB. During their visit Carlos and Lorena highlighted how AI tools are reshaping production across animation, film and games.
Through this connection between academia and industry, the ECA Immersive CoSTAR Realtime Lab is helping to support Scotland as a leading centre for innovation in screen and performance technology. In return, engaging with students in this way has allowed staff at the CoSTAR Realtime Lab to identify how creative practice can best be supported in Virtual Production environments. This type of practice-led exploration is essential to understand where tools, processes, and systems can be put into place to engage with new and emerging technologies.
