The future of filmmaking? USC gets $25 million for virtual production center

Oil baron and music mogul Len Blavatnik’s family foundation has made a $25 million donation to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to create a virtual production center, the university said this week.

The 15,000-square-foot center will house two stages with wraparound LED walls that students and industry professionals will use to gain experience with virtual production technology, USC said. The facility will also house camera tracking, performance capture and lighting systems, as well as classrooms and labs with computers equipped with real-time 3D design software and digital asset libraries.

Virtual production has emerged as a key growth area for the entertainment industry. The technology relies on advancements in gaming software that allow crews to transform a wall of LED screens into fantastical and interactive backdrops. Shows such as the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” sci-fi hit “Westworld” and fantasy title “House of the Dragon” were all shot on virtual production stages.

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As film and TV production in California has slowed and made work scarce for many industry professionals, the boom in virtual production has created new jobs for cinematographers, environmental artists, lighting technicians and professionals who can run the so-called LED walls.

With virtual production stages, filmmakers can create the look of a desert planet without going to Tunisia, as George Lucas did for “Star Wars,” or shoot scenes in daylight at any time of day.

“Virtual production has just become critical to our industry, and our job is to always train students for the future,” said Elizabeth Daley, dean of the School of Cinematic Arts. “We are very concerned that they leave [the school] really able to work with these tools and with enough serious knowledge of them to be able to adjust and advance.”

The center is expected to open in fall 2027, she said.

Blavatnik is no stranger to the entertainment business. In addition to founding Blavatnik Family Foundation, he also started the New York-based investment firm Access Industries, which has stakes in entertainment companies including indie movie and TV studio A24 and is the majority owner of record label giant Warner Music Group. Born in Ukraine, Blavatnik acquired Warner Music Group through Access Industries in 2011 and later took the company public. The billionaire is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Britain.

In an emailed statement, Blavatnik cited the importance of new technologies to the filmmaking process.

“USC’s pioneering approach — building a virtual production studio for the future — makes this the right time and place to invest in our industry,” he said.

USC has had a dedicated virtual production program for several years and has trained more than 400 students and alumni on the technology. The university currently has a smaller wall donated by Sony, but demand is high and students often spend time preparing and breaking down their sets.

With the new facility, which will be known as the Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production, the multiple stages will allow students more time to work with the technology and less on prep work, said Habib Zargarpour, co-head of the virtual production program at USC.

“Virtual production is definitely here to stay; it’s going to be a standard part of production,” he said. “As more and more of our students and directors and artists learn about the tools, then they can contribute to the success of the technology in the industry because they know how to use it.”