Vū Technologies, creator of disruptive virtual production studios for film and video, announced that it has closed on a $17 million seed investment from ADX Labs, Topmark Partners, and Angel investment syndicates from Tampa, Orlando, and Texas. The investment will fuel the expansion of its existing Tampa-Nashville-Vegas virtual studio network.
Vū Studios are advanced sound stages utilizing value-added integration of proprietary and patented Vū technologies with key third-party vendor products, including Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, Mark Roberts Motion Control, and Mo-Sys motion tracking devices. As a result, directors, and producers can achieve incredible savings of time and money by shooting against the fully immersive, high-definition LED Volumes of Vū Studios.
“Vū Technologies is on a mission to create the world’s largest network of virtual production studios for the film, television, and advertising industries. With our fully immersive, photorealistic virtual environments, we are empowering world-class directors and talent to shoot scenes as if they are on-location anywhere. Thanks to our investors, Vū’s network will forever change the filmmaking landscape, presenting limitless opportunities for creatives,” said Vū Technologies co-founder and CEO Tim Moore.
“One of the toughest and costliest elements to film production is scheduling the director, the producer, and the talent to be in the same room at the same time. Vū’s virtual capabilities removes this element from the equation – a true game-changer for the film and entertainment industry,” Vū Technologies president and co-founder Jon Davila.
“Vū Studios is leading the virtual production revolution. As corporations, ad agencies, and other content creators realize the advantages of virtual production; we are excited to partner with Vū to support their continued growth as they expand their virtual studio network across the country,” said Topmark Partners managing partner Steve Lux.
“We’re thrilled to see smart, strategic investments being made in the entertainment and tech spaces. Vū Technologies represents the future of filmmaking, and this investment will allow Vū to expand its footprint in the Central Florida area and throughout our region, diversifying our economy and generating a positive fiscal impact,” said Orlando Economic Partnership innovation & technology executive director David Adelson.
It’s a fitting record for the team building the largest network of virtual production studios of our time. Vu Technology’s team of creative minds is second to none – we are excited to watch this concept disrupt the entertainment industry,” said Super Bowl Champion and NFL standout Trey Burton, one of the many high-profile investors in Vū Technologies.
Virtual production, a new and burgeoning sector of the professional film and video industry – pioneered by Vū – offers and blends both Extended Reality and Mixed Reality technologies in advanced studio facilities. Typically rented by film, TV, advertising, and corporate video producers by the day, week, or month, Vū Studios empower directors to shoot their talent in largely enclosed high-definition video projection environments.
“This investment will position Florida as a competitive leader in extended reality and mixed reality production offerings. This is a massive win for Waterfall Ventures Angels and the Central Florida tech community. We are excited about both the innovation and financial impact it will bring to our State and region,” said Waterfall Ventures Investments (which worked to bring 30 Orlando-based investors to participate in this investment for $1.7 million) managing partner Charlie Lewis.
Incorporating multiple technologies invented and patented by Tim Moore, the Vū Max, Vū Pro, and Vū Essential are large circular sound stage studios that provide HD LED panels on all walls and ceilings. The Vū Dome is a sound stage in a massive 30 foot (9.1m) diameter dome structure with custom-made curved HD LED internal surfaces, providing a 180 by 90-degree volume. Vū Walls, constructed in effectively infinite sizes, provide advanced shooting environments for tracking shots.
Unique to Vū’s patented LED panels is an innovative system that allows Vū Studio soundstages to be theatrically lit from above the enclosed volume. In addition, Vū’s deep integration of LED, robotics, camera tracking technology, and game engine know-how allows the generation of realistic backgrounds in real-time, rendered from the point of view of the moving camera with perfect parallax.
