Norwich University of the Arts has unveiled the first educational and commercial virtual production studio in the UK to combine the Sony Verona LED wall with the Sony Venice cinema camera.
This launch marks a major milestone for virtual production in higher education and creates new opportunities for both students and commercial filmmakers.
The heart of the new studio is a 9 × 4 metre Sony Verona LED wall delivering 6.7 million pixels of immersive real-time content.
Its high contrast, accurate colours, and minimal reflections make it ideal for in-camera VFX.
These characteristics allow filmmakers to capture natural-looking backgrounds directly on set, reducing reliance on post-production.
As the focus keyword, the Sony Verona LED wall is the foundation of the studio’s virtual environment workflow.
The studio is equipped with the Sony Venice cinema camera, known for its full-frame sensor, wide dynamic range, and excellent colour science.
Its strengths include:
The Venice camera works perfectly with the Sony Verona LED wall, ensuring smooth blending between real subjects and digital environments.
To support real-time, camera-aware environments, the studio uses OptiTrack motion tracking provided by Target 3D.
This system tracks precise camera movement, enabling the virtual scene to shift naturally with parallax.
Target 3D also handled systems integration, ensuring LED, camera, tracking, lighting, and rendering tools operate as a unified pipeline.
Students studying film, animation, games, and VFX now have access to a professional-grade virtual production environment.
The studio is also available for commercial hire, and local directors have already expressed interest.
As part of a broader digital media ecosystem, the space is located next to the university’s 10 × 4 metre, 360-degree cylindrical LED volume, used for research and artistic exploration.
The university highlighted that this collaboration with Sony gives students access to the same tools driving innovation across the global film industry.
Sony has provided technical support throughout the project and continues to expand its partnership with the institution.
Sony Europe representatives praised the university team’s dedication and vision in creating the dual-purpose studio.
By combining the Sony Verona LED wall, Sony Venice camera, and advanced motion-tracking infrastructure, Norwich University of the Arts has created a double-first virtual production studio.
It is the first in the UK to unite these Sony technologies and the first to blend educational use with commercial production capability.
This installation sets a new benchmark for virtual studio design and prepares students for the future of in-camera VFX and real-time filmmaking.
