A giant floor-to-wall LED screen capable of producing visual effects, animation and extended reality technologies has been unveiled by Curtin University to help students develop the skills increasingly sought by the global creative sector.
The new Virtual Production Studio and Digital Creative Industries facility – featuring an eight-metre by eight-metre LED space – gives the filmmakers of tomorrow hands-on experience with the technologies currently used in screen productions around the world.
The new facility is designed to support teaching, research and industry engagement across different creative fields by giving students and industry partners access to the same technologies transforming industries worldwide.
This includes the wall and floor-mounted LED space, known as ‘volume’, which enables performers to appear to be inside realistic digital environments, rather than needing to film on location.
It is the first back and floor LED volume in Western Australia configured to industry standards, thanks to the support of leading industry partners who aligned Curtin’s curriculum with the industry’s future needs.
Curtin’s Faculty of Humanities Dean of Learning Futures Jonathan Pillai said the opportunities created by the facility extended far beyond a single technology or production technique.
“This brings together a range of creative technologies, disciplines and industry connections in one environment, creating new possibilities for how stories are developed and shared,” Mr Pillai said.
The Virtual Production Studio sits at the centre of Curtin’s growing Digital Creative Industries initiative, which aims to create stronger industry pathways for students and increase collaboration between the University and the creative sector in Australia and Southeast Asia.
The new facility strengthens the University’s partnership with Singapore-based production company Oceanus Media Global (OMG), while the launch event also marked the start of a new creative collaboration involving Curtin, OMG and Australian filmmaker and producer Paul Barron.
Curtin students and staff will have opportunities for work-integrated learning on Mr Barron’s upcoming Australia-Singapore-Malaysia co-production.
Mr Barron said genuine international co-production depended on more than bringing organisations together, with successful collaboration requiring the sharing of resources, ideas and values.
“We have shared storytellers, shared stories and shared resources,” Mr Barron said.
“What Curtin and OMG have done with the parties here is, to me, an excellent example of what collaboration can be. It is a sharing of resources and values that can create productions that appeal to international audiences while reflecting an important regional focus and identity.”
Curtin’s collaboration with OMG has created opportunities for students to gain experience on international productions and collaborate with industry professionals.
In 2025, Curtin students contributed to a feature film production through the partnership and received professional screen credits before graduating.
OMG Chief Executive Officer Nick GC Tan said the hub represented more than a technological investment.
“It is more than just a studio: it is an ecosystem,” Mr Tan said.
“It is not just another teaching lab: it is a gateway to Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.”
Curtin student Serena Bowering, who has worked with the University’s virtual production technology, said the facility was changing how emerging creatives approached their work.
“Working on this project with the LED volume changed my mindset from, ‘What can we get away with?’, to ‘What can we create?’,” Ms Bowering said.
“The virtual production screen is more than just amazing technology, it’s a platform for future storytellers.” The launch brought together senior representatives from Curtin University, the Western Australian creative industries sector and international guests from Singapore and Malaysia, including executives from OMG, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore and Iskandar Malaysia Studios.
