Spain - The initial phase of Gran Canaria Studios, one of Europe’s largest virtual production stages to date, has been completed, offering an environment for international content producers looking to “leverage Gran Canaria’s film location incentives”.
Located on the 1,200sq.m stage 1 of the Gran Canaria Platos studio lot, the virtual production infrastructure has been designed and delivered by ARRI Solutions, integrator Video Cine Import (VCI), and ROE Visual. The Economic Promotion Agency of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) commissioned the studio to accommodate both independent and high-end national and international productions.
“The film industry is one of the region’s economic pillars; we are very committed to the development of this industry on the island and Gran Canaria is spearheading efforts to become a leading hub for TV and film,” states Cosme García Falcón, managing director of the SPEGC.
“Creating this virtual stage offers new services to content companies from across the world, with the best state-of-the-art studio and premium technical and operational services created by companies of recognised prestige such as ARRI, VCI, and ROE Visual. Gran Canaria Studios will help production companies develop their stories and position the island of Gran Canaria, the region, and Spain as one of the best prepared and most profitable audiovisual production hubs in the market.”
In close cooperation with ROE Visual and VCI’s specialist teams, ARRI Solutions’ experts delivered comprehensive consultancy, system design, supervision, and commissioning for the project. The team prescribed a customised fixed curved space with highly flexible, adjustable elements to accommodate a wide range of productions, maximising stage utilisation.
The volume comprises a fixed 40m x 8m main horseshoe-shaped wall and two adjustable ceilings (90sq.m and 45sq.m) suspended from variable speed motors, allowing for height and tilt changes. To optimise the studio space, the whole volume is suspended from an innovative internal steel structure designed to hold the volume and prepared for holding lighting. Further configurations can be delivered through two supplementary 3m x 5m mobile LED walls or ‘side wings’, providing continuity with the main wall or as part of the physical scene set.
The whole volume uses ROE Visual Black Pearl BP2V2 LED panels, known for their exceptional image quality and reliability. These panels offer high-resolution visuals and provide filmmakers with high-contrast, detailed in-camera visuals and the flexibility and precision needed for cutting-edge virtual production and XR applications.
“We are very pleased that ARRI Solutions had the chance to lead the technical realisation of this flagship project. We would like to thank every partner involved for the excellent collaboration and the SPEGC for the extremely positive feedback on the result,” emphasises Kevin Schwutke, senior vice-president Business Unit Solutions ARRI Group.
“Gran Canaria already has a rich heritage of attracting major features, commercials, and independent productions. With this new studio, production companies now have access to next-generation technologies within a flexible, efficient facility. We are sure that the Gran Canaria Studios will become a key asset in enhancing the production infrastructure in the region.”
“We are thrilled to have contributed to the development of the Gran Canaria Studios,” says Olaf Sperwer, business development manager for ROE Visual. “This project underscores our commitment to delivering top-tier LED solutions that meet the highest industry standards. Collaboration with key partners has been instrumental. Leading the integration, ARRI Solutions delivered seamless and efficient implementation.
“ROE Visual is proud to have completed this advanced virtual production studio, enabling European and broader international film- and TV-producing communities with the best virtual production technology available. Raising the bar in virtual production will help put locations like the Gran Canaria Studios on the map for premium international film productions. We thank the SPEGC and our partners VCI and ARRI for the successful teamwork in this unique project.”
“This landmark project, coordinated by VCI, was made possible through our collaboration with ARRI’s cutting-edge engineering and ROE’s state-of-the-art LED wall technology,” says Fernando Baselga, CEO of Video Cine Import. “We’re pleased to have worked with SPEGC, whose commitment and foresight were essential in making the project a reality. This studio sets a new benchmark for virtual production, advancing the development of a comprehensive digital ecosystem, including skilled professionals in this emerging field.”
