World-leading research and teaching, both science and art, come together in the University of Melbourne. Advanced virtual production technology, equivalent to what is being used in Hollywood, is available to students and industry practitioners at our Southbank campus.
With the highest-resolution screen of its kind in Australia, the Light-Emitting-Diode (LED) Volume Studio is designed to upskill film and television students, and industry partners, offering real-world experience and helping them gain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving global screen sector. Virtual production combines traditional digital cinematography with large-scale LED screens to create realistic visual effects.
“Global investment in virtual production is growing at an extraordinary rate. It is vital the next generation of Australian creatives embrace the potential this technology offers. Our significant investment in virtual production technology, coupled with our partner NantStudios’ expertise, offers our students the ability to not only join the industry but to lead its development.”
Andrew O’Keefe – Senior Lecturer and Head of Virtual Production, Victorian College of the Arts (Faculty of Fine Arts and Music)
Film and TV studios are increasingly taking advantage of virtual production worldwide, with the technology used in a growing list of blockbuster movies including Barbie and Dune.
The LED Volume Studio, coupled with a strategic industry partnership with NantStudios in Melbourne’s Docklands, enables the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music to push further into digital research. Its significant infrastructure investment delivers genuine benefit to the creative industries, enabling researchers to explore and communicate new knowledge, push boundaries and embrace a broader understanding of our place in the world.
A series of hands-on micro-credentials (short courses) is being run in our custom-built Southbank studio, equipping students with the most in-demand skills and increasing their employability. These courses are funded through a multimillion-dollar Australian Government grant and are being taught in partnership with NantStudios.
The courses ensure filmmakers, animators, game developers and 3D modelers also learn the skills they need to transfer into this exciting field.
The digital screen production industry holds tremendous growth potential in Victoria. But it faces challenges including a shortage of expertise stemming from a gap in training. The University’s premium facility aims to fill this gap by fostering the development of a virtual production workforce to bolster Australia’s screen industry.
This cutting-edge technology is integrated into teaching and research across the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music and will benefit future graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts. It is also used by our humanities, arts and social science (HASS) students and interdisciplinary researchers for digital visualisation.
The first exhibition to showcase the technology, Flashover, invited audiences to look beyond the human viewpoint and to encounter bushfires from the perspectives of flora, fauna, and fire itself. Audiences moved through several distinctive spaces and encountered a cast of characters, from virtual representations of real-life volunteer firefighters to animated wildlife.
First published on 24 July 2025.
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