Studio Ulster, Northern Ireland’s new virtual production facilities, is opening its doors for business today. The 75,000 square foot studio offers large-scale virtual production stages designed to support productions at every level – from big-budget Hollywood productions, high-end television, game development and animation.
Located in Belfast, the facility integrates real-time engines, in-cameral visual effects, volumetric capture and motion tracking into a sustainable pipeline. It’s the result of £72M ($96.7M) investment, part-funded through the Belfast Region City Deal and is developed by Ulster University in partnership with Belfast Harbour.
The facilities sit on the same lot at Belfast Harbour Studios, which recently housed the live action How To Train Your Dragon as well as Netflix’s The School For Good & Evil.
“We have three in-cameral visual effects stages, some of the most advanced stages in the world – if not the most advanced – and then we have a large motion capture studio, a large 3D and 4D volumetric studio and then all the other bits and pieces – costume, makeup, screening rooms and more,” Studio Ulster CEO Declan Keeney told Deadline.
“We’re modular in a way that nowhere else in the world is right now. Some of the frustrations in the past for producers and art directors was that they had to build them in a certain way – the technology was very rigid. You had to figure out a way to use the technology and build your sets in a way that didn’t work for creatives as flexibility is required.”
He continued: “So, for example, if you need a long train or a long boat scene on the North Atlantic and then you need to pivot quickly and do a balcony scene in Cairo, we can change our stages using a dynamic volume system within half a day to one day into a new set up.”
Keeney noted that the facilities have already booked in “a number of series from major streamers” and some UK and U.S. independent features, but details are under wraps. “For independent features, it’s really great because the productions can access our world class crew and locations in Northern Ireland and then they can do quite a bit of their film in virtual production, which will save them money as well as carbon costs,” he said.
Studio Ulster is also home to the CoSTAR Screen Lab, one of five national research labs created under the UK-wide CoSTAR initiative. This program is backed by £75.6M ($101.4M) in funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and £63M ($84.5M) in new industry investment.
“Virtual production has truly come of age at Studio Ulster,” said Richard Williams, CEO of Northern Ireland Screen in a statement. “While many filmmakers are aware of the basics, few fully grasp how radically the technology has evolved. Studio Ulster is a genuine game-changer, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on screen and enabling directors to bring any imagined world to life, right here at Belfast Harbour. Northern Ireland Screen is proud to support this landmark facility, which redefines the studio offering not only in Northern Ireland but across the UK and Europe.”
Laura Livingstone, VFX Executive at Netflix added: “This is a pivotal time for our industry, where innovation is not just accelerating but fundamentally reshaping how we create and experience stories. On a recent tour of Netflix owned Eyeline in LA, I saw firsthand how advancements from a world-class studio directly inform the techniques we adopt in visual effects and beyond, helping storytellers bring creative visions to life. It’s more than just a facility; it’s a bridge between visionary creators, the local community, and global opportunity. Studio Ulster has the potential to shape the next generation of storytelling and I’m proud to have helped launch this studio.”
