North Belfast will soon be home to a new £25.2m cutting-edge virtual production studio.

Studio Ulster will be the first dedicated studio of its kind in Northern Ireland and is set to built at Giant's Park by 2024.

The landmark project aims to build on Northern Ireland's global reputation as a prime location for the film and TV industry.

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Studio Ulster will strengthen Northern Ireland’s status as a leading filming location by offering a nexus of the region’s core strengths in film, broadcast, animation, games and immersive technologies in one central location.

The 57,000 sq ft building will house two large-scale virtual production stages with in-camera visual effects stage, a motion capture stage, a 3D scanning stage for full body, facial and object scanning and an R&D smart stage with virtual production technologies to support research.

It will be developed in partnership with Belfast Harbour, Ulster University and NI Screen and has been funded by money from the Belfast Region City Deal.

Joe O’Neill, Chief Executive of Belfast Harbour, said this significant investment for the local film industry, underlines an ongoing ambition to be a major economic hub for the region and create the largest European media hub outside of London.

"The UK market for film and content production has continued to strengthen and this project will serve to further increase Northern Ireland’s global competitiveness in the creative industries sector and help to attract leading production companies to both the traditional stages and the virtual production facility," he added.

Studio Ulster will be a cutting edge virtual production studio
Studio Ulster will be a cutting edge virtual production studio

Construction on the Studio Ulster site begins later this month and it is expected to be fully operational and open for filming from early 2024.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons added: "The Studio Ulster project is a major investment in the future of the local film industry that enhances the excellent facilities already on offer here in Northern Ireland.

"The industry is now a major contributor to our economy, with estimates by Northern Ireland Screen suggesting the last three film and television productions have together been worth more than £100million to the economy.

"This £25.2million investment in Studio Ulster through the Belfast Region City Deal further strengthens Northern Ireland’s impressive offering to international film companies."

The new facility will support 461 direct and indirect jobs in the screen sector. It will be used not only by the film and TV industry but also by students to help grow the talent pool for the creative industries.

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