
The DARK BAY Virtual Production Stage was built to provide film and television series productions with a state-of-the-art LED environment for virtual backdrops. It is currently one of Europe's largest, permanently installed LED studios for mixed reality film productions. Located on the lot of the prestigious Studio Babelsberg AG, the DARK BAY is embedded in a large production facility with multiple studios and an extensive film infrastructure. The stage is outfitted with a total of 1470 ROE RUBY 2.3 LED panels, ARRI lighting and camera equipment such as SkyPanel, Orbiter, and ALEXA Mini LF, Vicon and TrackMen tracking, as well as NVIDIA graphics cards. Its elliptical shape, with a diameter of 23 m (75 ft) and a height of 7 m (23 ft), allows for very wide camera angles and totals. In addition, the LED panels have a smaller pixel pitch than other LED volumes, making image artifacts, occurring between the camera and LED wall, easier to handle. The LED volume has also been built around a 21 m (69 ft), motor-driven revolving stage, which significantly enhances the creative possibilities of the stage, allows for much higher efficiency in shooting, and is unique in the world.
As one of ARRI's first mixed reality studio reference projects, the ARRI Solutions Group provided consultant services for the overall technical planning as well as the installation, coordination, and oversight for all the components of the DARK BAY Virtual Production Stage. In the future, art and technology will merge in the DARK BAY. For productions of the highest quality, state-of-the-art hardware was combined with engineering services to create an innovative overall system in close coordination with the client and business partners, explains Markus Zeiler, ARRI Executive Board member. To make this lighthouse project possible, all ARRI business units-Camera Systems, Lighting, and Rental-worked together intensively under the project management of the ARRI Solutions Group. As a result, the customers benefited from an international team of experienced engineers and project managers in combination with ARRI products, highly regarded for their high quality and user-friendliness, along with a worldwide network.
Watch the DARK BAY being built in the video below
The idea for the DARK BAY stage came from the creators of the successful Netflix show Dark, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar. With the space, they intended to realize the vision of their next production and, at the same time, create one of Europe's biggest and most advanced mixed reality studios. To meet these lofty goals, their production company DARK WAYS GmbH partnered with Studio Babelsberg AG and founded the DARK BAY GmbH in 2020. Supported by funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy of the State of Brandenburg, they built the studio and are in charge if its operation. The investment was made possible by a long-term booking commitment from Netflix for their local content productions. At the same time, the infrastructure remains open for bookings of the volume by all filmmakers, independent of Netflix.
ARRI had been a long-term partner for the creators, working closely on the Netflix series Dark through rental and postproduction services. In the initial phase of the studio planning, ARRI joined DARK BAY and provided to support with the broad range of competencies ARRI possesses across its business units. ARRI cameras, such as ALEXA LF, had been the centerpiece of virtual productions since The Mandalorian, and ARRI has decades of experience in color management, image science, optics, lighting technology, and integration into modern workflows. The ARRI Solutions Group has designed, planned, and implemented high-end film, TV, and broadcast studios around the world for years. ARRI also has the experience and human resources to support pioneering production workflows with hard and software and quickly supply all kinds of necessary studio equipment.
DARK BAY meets ARRI (left to right): Jantje Friese, Baran bo Odar, Philipp Klausing (all DARK BAY), Nik Summerer (DP on 1899 ), Christina Caspers-R mer (DARK BAY), Dr. Michael Neuhaeuser, Dr. Johannes Steurer, Stefan Soellner, Stephan Schenk, Elfi Kerscher, and David Bermbach (all ARRI) Photo: Alex Forge/Netflix
For DARK BAYS' landmark project, ARRI Camera Systems experts delivered an ARRI Mini LF set and a UMC-4. They also helped with the programming of Unreal Engine Plug-Ins to handle metadata and offered their expertise in color calibration, moir testing, and simulation. ARRI Rental supplied the lighting, grip, and camera equipment as well as custom-designed ALFA lenses used for Netflix's 1899, DARK BAY's first hosted production, tailored not only to the individual look requirements but also optimized for shootings in the LED studio. Initially, ARRI Lighting supplied more than 70 SkyPanels S60-Cs. In the meantime, over 50 Orbiter lampheads as powerful direct lights, versatile in their application for different mixed reality set environments, were added and integrated.
More than 70 ARRI SkyPanels (pictured) and over 50 ARRI Orbiter lampheads were installed at the DARK BAY Photo: Alex Forge/Netflix
The ARRI Solutions Group was responsible for integrating all subsections and coordinating partners on-site and served as the general contractor for the DARK BAY's technical outfit. Together, all departments have also been involved in building a reference studio in Munich that mirrors the technology used in Berlin and is being used to develop tools, evaluate technology, and test the integration.
ARRI Solutions Group was commissioned with the overall planning. In spring 2021, we built our high-end LED studio in a record time of three months on the premises Studio Babelsberg AG. The team from the ARRI Solutions Group, one of the few vertically int
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/09/2026
RT ANNOUNCE NEW DRAMA THE MURDER OF MR. MOONLIGHT
BASED ON THE DISAPPEARANCE...
03/09/2026
Yospace will be at IBC from 11th - 14th September (booth 5.C78). For more inform...
03/09/2026
Create musical synth bass sounds from scratch
Anthony Marinelli Music have recently announced the launch of Bass DNA, a new online course that teaches music...
03/09/2026
Most powerful Tonex hardware to date
IK Multimedia's latest release introduces their most advanced Tonex hardware unit to date, combining their AI Machi...
03/09/2026
Upmix & downmix software upgraded
Penteo Audio Plugins have announced that the latest version of their powerful upmix and downmix software is now available....
03/09/2026
With the start of the new apprenticeship year, young talent has once again begun their professional careers at SGL Carbon's sites in Germany. Recently, the ...
03/09/2026
With the industry increasingly embracing hybrid, software-defined production models, Calrec will preview a series of Argo and ImPulseV software enhancements at ...
03/09/2026
Thursday 3 September 2026
Jeff Goldblum announced as host of Saturday Night Liv...
03/09/2026
Wuppertal September 3, 2026
Gonshiro Strengthens Collaboration With Riedel, AR...
03/09/2026
Comscore Expands Its AI Intelligence to Measure Sponsored Chat Advertising and I...
03/09/2026
First Class Takes is a new six-part series for RT KIDS that captures funny, hon...
02/09/2026
Combines the Phat Drive with high-voltage valve circuit
The latest pedal from Keeley Electronics combines their popular Phat Mode drive pedal with an all-ne...
02/09/2026
Free version of virtual mixing room plug-in introduced
Lewitt's Space Replicator plug-in provides users with a virtual monitoring environment that aims ...
02/09/2026
Two new mixing & mastering plug-ins revealed
AIR Music Tech have just introduced the Stereophonic Bundle, a pair of processing plug-ins designed to provide ...
02/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving f...
02/09/2026
Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...
02/09/2026
Why agentic media supply chains need experience design built around visibility, reversibility and human authority
When AI can generate a functional interface ...
02/09/2026
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Sky News revamps Sunday morning show with rotating l...
02/09/2026
RT has today announced a major media partnership with Lidl around Katie Taylor's historic Croke Park clash with Flora Pili on Saturday, September 5th.
The...
01/09/2026
Inside the Music and Sound of Michael
Sound Particles have announced an upcoming webinar with John Warhurst, the Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning supervisin...
01/09/2026
Piano offers tutorials, lessons & feedback via app
Roland have just launched a new digital piano that integrates with a mobile app in an effort to encourage...
01/09/2026
Update introduces 7.1.4 support via Dante
Trinnov have just announced a software update that will allow Nova units with eight licensed Optimizer channels to...
01/09/2026
Amazon MGM Studios have commissioned a new thrilling 6-part drama, Crouch End, b...
01/09/2026
The placement problemOne of the persistent challenges with directional headset m...
01/09/2026
An intimate eight-part Sky Original reality series following Gemma through a year in which everything changes, launching 15 September on Sky and streaming servi...
01/09/2026
Wuppertal September 1, 2026
Friedrichstadt-Palast Relies on Riedel for IP-Centered Production InfrastructureFriedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, the world's l...
01/09/2026
Join Donal Skehan in discovering the best of everyday Italian cooking in brand new series, airing Wednesday 2 September
In this brand-new series, Donal's I...
01/09/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to spotlight a diverse range of arts, cultu...
31/08/2026
Sampler gains Overbridge multitrack streaming
Elektron's polyphonic sampler, the Tonverk, has just received an OS update that introduces multitrack stre...
31/08/2026
Popular chorus plug-in gains second engine
UVI's latest plug-in offers a fresh new take on their best-selling chorus effect, combining a pair of engines...
31/08/2026
At a Vacation Bible School event, the N-Series was used by elementary school students with no prior experience handling audio equipment. Paired with DPA 2028 Vo...
31/08/2026
The DPK2015 was tested on two grand pianos in two Los Angeles recording studios, with the microphones positioned both inside and outside the instruments.
The ...
31/08/2026
Offering true diversity RF performance with truly digital audio, the easy-to-use DPA N-Series Digital wireless system sounds like a wired DPA microphone.
Read...
31/08/2026
The N-Series is far more than simply another digital wireless system - it's a true professional audio platform designed to preserve the integrity of the sou...
31/08/2026
When hundreds of thousands of people gather to hear a single voice, the audio in...
31/08/2026
Thousands of bluegrass fans gathered in the rolling hills of North Carolina for MerleFest 2026, but the real work of the weekend happened behind the scenes. Unl...
30/08/2026
Free collection includes 15 instruments
Reason Studios have recently launched a free version of their popular Reason Rack plug-in that comes bundled with a ...
29/08/2026
Odyssey & Oracle console software update incoming
With a second console now joining their O-Series, SSL have announced the upcoming launch of O-Series V2.0,...
28/08/2026
The Italian orchestra, reimagined
IK Multimedia have announced the upcoming launch of Sinphonica, a new family of Italian orchestral instruments designed f...
28/08/2026
Voice-isolation plug-in boasts sub-10ms latency
Launched in 2025, CEDAR Audio's Icons range was created with the aim of bringing the company's renow...
28/08/2026
Friday 28 August 2026
Sky Secures Approval for Major Livingston Campus Investme...
27/08/2026
Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced
Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...
27/08/2026
M5 Ultra-equipped Studio most powerful Mac to date
Apple have just announced a design refresh which they say makes the Mac mini fiercer and more versatil...
27/08/2026
Sampler receivers major upgrades
Bitwig's latest DAW update brings some major changes to the Sampler device, kitting it out with new slicing options, tw...
27/08/2026
Designed specifically for hard-hitting modern bass
Designed specifically for bass-heavy electronic music, the latest plug-in from Arturia aims to offer an a...
27/08/2026
Thursday 27 August 2026
Sir Grayson Perry and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Est...
27/08/2026
Wuppertal August 27, 2026
Riedel Evolves Leadership and Global Go-to-Market OrganizationRiedel Communications is strengthening its leadership and global go-to...