WWE 30,000 square meters. Studio complex opened; The Sony Verona LED wall is used for virtual production

The facility is designed to improve production quality, versatility and efficiency

WWE's Studios, a new 30,040 square foot state-of-the-art production facility in Stamford, CT, is designed to provide both WWE and external clients new production opportunities in the New York Tri-State area. The five studios feature a state-of-the-art virtual production stage built in collaboration with AbelCine and Meptik, as well as the latest technology from Sony Electronics and Disguise.

The new WWE facility features two control rooms.

“Over the last few days we’ve had people come and see the space we’ve created,” he says Joe Solari, Vice President, Studio Operations, WWE. “I think everyone is really excited to get in there and create something on the stages. It gives us new tools and a new canvas to push the boundaries of what we do here at WWE. We can take our productions to the next level and really increase our fan engagement.”

The five studios include a 5,000 square meter room. Main studio, 1,500 m². Cyclorama studio, 1,500 m². volumetric LED studio (opening later this spring) and two insert stages of approximately 600 square feet each (there is also a photography studio that is approximately 1,000 square feet).

Production technologies will allow WWE to tell more dynamic stories; improving production quality, versatility and efficiency; and serve a wide range of customers in the areas of broadcasting, film and production. The full-service facility also houses two production control rooms, two live audio rooms, robotic camera control, two playback rooms, editing rooms, seven post audio rooms, two green rooms, locker rooms and office space.

The new WWE facility features a green screen studio as well as an LED virtual production studio.

In addition to world-class production offerings, WWE's studios are equipped with a purpose-built virtual production stage housed in Studio 3. Although most people associate volumetric LED recordings with shows like… The Mandalorian, The WWE studio shows that you don't need a huge studio with huge LED walls to achieve a massive look.

“Our wall is about 14 feet tall and 32 feet wide,” Solari points out, “but with the virtual enhancements, it can look larger on camera than it does in person.” When you look through the lens, the wall will be as tall as we need them.”

Equipment and services provider AbelCine provided the design and installation of camera and lighting for the studios and brought in Meptik's virtual production specialists to lead the design, installation and integration of the virtual production phase. Meptik's team of creative and technical experts have extensive experience in virtual production and have integrated virtual production workflows for clients ranging from major broadcasters to educational institutions.

“[Meptik co-founder] Nick Rivero and his team were wonderful,” says Solari, “and walked us through the decision-making process of designing the space to make it flexible for the variety of shots we were planning.” There are no limits with volume walls like this: if you “If you can think of something, you can also implement it.”

The LED stage uses the latest generation of Sony's Crystal LED Verona modular display technology and Solari says it is an amazing product that turns all preconceived notions of LED on its head: “When I saw it for the first time, I could it doesn't even process what I've seen because it's fundamentally different from any tiles I've seen before. The clarity and color gamut we can achieve, along with the blacks and anti-reflective properties, is something I have never seen before.”

Verona is long-lasting because the LED diodes are encapsulated, he adds. “You won’t see many of the problems that other walls have. Plus, heat release is almost non-existent, which is a testament to Sony’s research and development.”

WWE is the first U.S. facility to install Crystal LED Verona, installing a total of 158 cabinets on the main wall and auxiliary cars.

In addition, Studio 3 will be equipped with Sony's Virtual Production Tool Set, designed to solve common virtual production problems and support high-quality in-camera VFX, as well as Sony's flagship full-frame digital cinema camera VENICE 2. The combination of the products will allowing WWE to leverage a color-accurate ecosystem to bring quality and efficiency to productions.

The next-generation production stage is based on the Emmy Award-winning visual experience platform Disguise, an advanced and integrated virtual production workflow. Three Disguise VX 4+ media servers were selected for their playback performance and flexibility to support content of any size, format and complexity, enabling WWE to deliver next-generation sports and media entertainment.

“I don’t think there’s anything in Connecticut right now that even comes close to what we’ve built here,” Solari says, “not only in terms of the studio space but also the amount of production support we have. “