Virtual Production Studio ReadySet Studios Takes on the International Stage

An Introduction to ReadySet Studios and a Primer of Sorts in VP

With rising production costs and even shorter turnaround times, it’s no wonder that studios and production companies the world over are embracing virtual production at such a rapid pace. With new and dynamic virtual production workflows, companies like ReadySet Studios in the Netherlands are changing the way in how productions are being completed today. Launched in March 2022 by award-winning Dutch filmmakers, visual effects professionals, and creative technologists, ReadySet Studios is considered the most advanced, full-service LED virtual production facility in the Netherlands.

Recently, I had the opportunity to pull back the curtain with the principals of ReadySet Studios, Dennis Kleyn, Founder/VFX Supervisor/VP Producer and Idse Grotenhuis, Managing Director/Founder/Producer. We started with some company history and their approach to production.

Having just completed some very high-profile projects, ReadySet Studios has become recognized for their exceptional work in the virtual production space. But before we get to that, let’s find out more about the company, and take a look at a pretty amazing project that is quite stunning.

PH: What is the history of ReadySet Studios and how was it all started?

ReadySet Studios: RSS was founded by three film and television makers who set themselves the goal of helping the industry move forward with the new possibilities of Virtual Production in combination with creating sustainable physical, modular sets. Our Dutch market is small, which is why we have distinguished ourselves with a midsized and affordable LED studio.

PH: Tell me about your background. Is it in traditional production or something else?

ReadySet Studios: We are traditional makers with roots in production, directing, production design, and visual effects. Because of our fascination for new techniques and sustainable solutions, we felt the need to take the step to set up a VP studio.

PH: Can you tell me about your teams both creative and technical?

ReadySet Studios: The creative team is responsible for acquisition and strategy; the technical team is indispensable for proper preparation and for the supervision of shoots. We constantly exchange information with each other and do continuous R&D to improve our service and implement the latest innovations to enhance our workflow and pipeline.

PH: What is the most challenging aspect of opening and operating a virtual studio?

ReadySet Studios: The biggest challenges are: 1) determining what size studio is needed to deliver the right price/quality ratio; 2) familiarizing producers and the market with the technology and its potential. They often find it complicated to understand why VP has advantages over a location shoot and most assume it is reserved for high-budget productions and/or it is a very technical matter, which is both not necessarily true.

PH: How do you feel you compare vs some other virtual studios that seem to be popping up right now?

ReadySet Studios: RSS is unique in its size and expertise. With our midsize range, we want to be accessible for many more productions than the high end, big-budget films, and series. On the other hand, our technical team is constantly doing R&D, which means we are ahead of the wave regarding development and expertise, and we engage with many professionals around the world who are on the same cutting-edge playing field.

PH: Can you tell us about some of your high-profile clients? What are they looking for in a virtual set?

ReadySet Studios: Our customers are mainly looking for credibility, efficiency, and control, with sustainability being an important side effect. We saw most of these aspects come together for an episode of Amazon Studios’ Modern Love Amsterdam that made use of VP to shoot scenes set during Christmas on the longest day in summer!

The Cool Stuff…or Why I Love Production

Speaking of high-profile projects, I think ReadySet Studios hit it out of the park with their most recent work for the Burning Daylight music video by Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper. The music video was the official entry representing the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. I would say that would be pretty high profile, right?

Working with a creative brief created by Bruut Amsterdam, ReadySet Studios built physical sets of various locations in the video, including a restaurant, multiple versions of a living room with action taking place at different times of day, and a nightclub scene with a small stage where the artists perform with virtual sets of a nightclub setting.

“As the first full-service VP/ICVFX studio in the Netherlands, we were excited to collaborate with Bruut Amsterdam and showcase the benefits of virtual production and the versatility that our studio can offer in creatively capturing our national music talent for one of the most highly anticipated televised events in the world,” says Idse Grotenhuis, ReadySet Studios’ managing director.

ReadySet Studios’ Dennis Kleyn, founding partner and VP/VFX producer, explains that shooting the music video in virtual production solved logistical and creative efficiency challenges as the team used a smaller physical set yet could believably ‘sell’ the full production value of larger locations. “The entire virtual production approach made it possible to shoot six locations within a short time, preventing company moves and enabling the busy artists of the song to make the most of their time within a single shooting location at the facility.

Florian Legters, ReadySet Studios co-founder and chief production designer, oversaw designing and building the physical sets, including a central ‘portal’ with doors to ‘connect’ the multiple virtual scenes the artists walk in and out of from one location to another.

“Meeting the needs of the fast-paced production timeframe required intense pre-production collaboration among all creative teams to find the ‘sweet spot’ between high production value and managing the decisions of which set elements would be created physically or virtually,” outlined Legters.

“The physical set served as an anchor to the virtual scenes to mirror the turbulent situation between the two main characters allowing them to cross borders between day and night,” he added. “It also provided a space to convincingly show places that could never be close to each other or prove impractical in real-life single shots.”

“Shooting on the LED volume offers versatility to capture multiple angles for final pixel in all directions,” stated Planet X’s Robert Okker, head of virtual production/VFX supervisor. “We utilized Unreal Engine and Stype RedSpy 3 for real-time camera tracking to create Burning Daylight virtual set elements optimized with predetermined interactive lighting and color schemes. Although combining the photorealistic requirement while preserving real-time performance is always a challenge, the VP/ICVFX workflow allowed us to respond credibly to feedback from the director, DOP and other creative stakeholders throughout production and even offer last-minute tweaks and adjustments.

Closing Thoughts

There is so much to cover in the new and exciting workflow of Virtual Production. I appreciate the time and energy that ReadySet Studios is sharing, and we have a lot more coverage planned in this space for ProductionHUB readers in the months ahead.

For now, here are some very cool project links courtesy of ReadySet Studios that are sure to impress:

Burning Daylight - Resources