Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in 'Heated Rivalry.' Sabrina Lantos/HBO Dark Slope wants to make Canada look like anywhere but.
The Toronto-based virtual production studio has acquired competitor Pixomondo‘s similar assets from the Sony Entertainment subsidiary’s own Toronto studio as well as its Vancouver digs, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Dark Slope’s existing Toronto campus is 75,000 square feet; Pixomondo’s Toronto spot had been the second-largest LED stage in North America before being shuttered.
Dark Slope has provided in-studio and on-location virtual production for shows like Heated Rivalry, Ginny & Georgia, The Boys and its spinoff Gen V. “Virtual production” here refers to the usage of LED volume screens (a stage made of high-definition panels that display computer-generated backgrounds in real-time), motion-tracking cameras and AI (among other tech) to create impressive settings aiming to be indistinguishable from the real deal. The cost-conscious option has famously been used for Disney+ series The Mandalorian and Sam Mendes film 1917. Dark Slope says its method “saves hundreds of thousands of dollars for productions.”
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“Productions are under enormous pressure to deliver bigger, more cinematic worlds while being smarter about managing ever-evolving budgets and production schedules,” said Dan Fill, president of Dark Slope. “Dark Slope has always been focused on solving that problem: Giving filmmakers an elevated look without an elevated price tag? This acquisition takes us a step further. We can now build a custom LED volume to virtually any scale and bring it to the production, rather than forcing the production to fit the stage.”
Pixomondo does the same thing as Dark Slope for a trio of Star Trek shows.
“These are industry leading virtual production assets built to support productions at the highest level, and Dark Slope has the team and expertise to maximize what they can do,” said Christopher Cox, global head of virtual production and head of PXO Clara — Pixomondo’s virtual production division — at Pixomondo. “As Canada continues to attract ambitious film and television projects, Dark Slope is well positioned to put this technology to work for the next generation of productions shooting here.”
Dark Slope also has an upcoming “preschool puppet-hybrid” production it will stage at the Toronto facility. Dark Slope is represented by Independent Artist Group (IAG).
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