Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Masterwork Films advances brand storytelling with virtual...

24/04/2025

Branded cinematic shorts and documentaries have surged in popularity as more companies strategize out-of-the-box ways to connect and engage with audiences. While these projects benefit from higher-end technology, they often come with tighter budgets and same-day turnaround expectations. To address these challenges, Masterwork Films CEO Biro Florin built a green screen virtual production studio in the heart of Brighton, England. It houses all the equipment to streamline and accelerate production on branded storytelling projects, including a workstation running Epic Games' Unreal Engine, an AJA ColorBox for color management, and AJA GEN10 for sync gen, among other equipment.

Fusing technological expertise with a passion for creativity

Channeling a passion for filmmaking, cinematography, and gear, Biro established Masterwork Films in 2024. Today, he runs the company and acts as DP (Director of Photography) on client shoots for branded storytelling, film, commercial, and masterclass projects. In addition to servicing clients in the UK, US, and Canada, Biro and team run a green screen virtual production studio and a kit rental business.

Biro sees green screen virtual production unlocking new doors for brands looking to deliver believable compositions quickly and affordably. He explained, Virtual production can prove costly if you're building sets and virtual worlds from scratch, which is why we try to strike that middle ground with our new studio, where we can get a nice output with stock and marketplace type assets. Another big benefit of executing green screen virtual production, especially with a tool like AJA ColorBox, is that it minimizes post production work so we can reduce costs and production times for our clients all around.

Envisioning a green screen virtual production studio

Recently launched, Masterwork's u-shaped green screen stage is six meters wide and three and a half meters deep. It features up to 3 cameras that send a REDWideGamutRGB (Log) SDI signal of the talent and the green screen to its keyer while a PC sends another SDI signal transporting the Unreal Engine virtual camera feed that also uses REDWideGamutRGB (Log). The keyer receives the camera signal as the foreground feed and keys out a flat-looking green backdrop, leaving an alpha foreground layer of the talent. The same keyer also receives the Unreal Engine SDI signal as the background feed and applies it as the background layer of the foreground keyed talent.

Given both foreground and background signals are REDWideGamutRGB, the composited image on the keyer has the same flat look. Biro's team sends that flat video signal via SDI to an AJA ColorBox and uses Assimilate Live Looks to color correct and grade it. They then send the graded output to director and talent confident monitors using the ColorBox SDI output, and the loop out to a focus puller and for low-latency critical tasks.

Whether on a virtual production or traditional set, there's something magical about being able to use a device like ColorBox to upload a LUT and get a rough view of how things will look, plus have the control to tweak the color and contrast in real time. It gives you an extra layer of confidence as you light the scene and confirm that you structured it the right way, he explained. I also love that ColorBox is integrated with so many great color grading and correction tools to support live grading on set and that I can easily export changes to a LUT or a grade and send them down the pipeline in post to editors and colorists; it's very useful.

ColorBox, Biro said, also saves the team time because they're able to do everything on the computer without having to process the 4:2:2 10-bit signal they're shooting; it receives the feed and outputs the exact same signal with its LUT. And Biro's team can do an SDI loop out or pass through, so he can send a signal from the ColorBox to two recorders one with the color grading and the original signal as it comes out of the compositing server.

In addition to ColorBox, Masterwork Films uses an AJA GEN10 sync gen generator because its cameras and lens trackers have genlock and SDI reference inputs. Biro explained, Prior to GEN10, the background would stutter when we'd move the cameras. I quickly found that we needed a device to synchronize all these devices doing genlock, so I installed GEN10, and the stuttering disappeared; it's been amazing.

Laying a solid foundation for the future

Biro anticipates client demand for more distinctive backdrops for brand videos will only continue to grow, which is partially why he created the studio. We saw this new studio as a solution to help diversify the look and feel of projects, especially for our more consistent clients, without it costing an arm and a leg like most LED studios do, he added. So far, they like the variety of options we can offer at an affordable price point, as there aren't many non-LED options in the south of the UK.

For the time being, as Biro continues to grow the business, he's keeping an eye on AI developments related to virtual production, game development, and motion tracking. He concluded, We're heading into a very disruptive world, especially with the advent of generative AI. Virtual production presents an opportunity where AI, green screen, and motion tracking developments can converge to truly reshape how we create content. As we experience this shift and take on more new clients, it's very possible we may start taking more of our studio equipment, like ColorBox, on location, as I could see it being useful for real time visualization of color grading and correction on projects outside our studio.
LINK: https://kitplus.com/news/masterwork-films-advances-brand-storytelling-...
See more stories from tvbay

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

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

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

07/08/2026

Lawo To Highlights Dynamic Media Facility Support At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

Kevin Trueblood to Return as SBE President

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

Riedel To Demo 'Live Production Experience At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

LTN Enhances Live Event Master Control Capabilities

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

AI-Native Film Studio Launches in Toronto

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

Judge Orders Removal of Nexstar Employees from Tegna Board

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/08/2026

Riedel Communications at IBC2026 Live Production Experien...

Riedel Communications at IBC2026: Live Production Experience Showcasing Integrated IP Production Workflows At IBC2026, Riedel Communications will bring modern ...

07/08/2026

Shotoku Showcases Expanding Aura PTZ Ecosystem and Award-...

Shotoku Showcases Expanding Aura PTZ Ecosystem and Award-Winning Swoop Robotic Crane at IBC2026 Shotoku Broadcast Systems will officially introduce its Aura fa...

07/08/2026

Cobalt Digital to Bring New and Enhanced Practical Soluti...

Highlights will include new Dante fiber connectivity, expanded IPMX capabilities and award-winning signal processing solutions Cobalt Digital, the leading des...

07/08/2026

Bob Moses Concert at Red Rocks Captured with URSA Cine 12K LF

Bob Moses Concert at Red Rocks Captured with URSA Cine 12K LF Brie Clayton August 6, 2026 0 Comments PYXIS 12K and URSA Cine 12K LF enable cinematic c...

07/08/2026

Use It or Else Is Not an AI Implementation Strategy

Use It or Else Is Not an AI Implementation Strategy Andy Marken August 6, 2026 0 Comments Source - Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe, Touchstone Pi...

06/08/2026

USA Sports Rolls Into 2026 NASCAR Season With First Pace-Car Analyst on Selected Races

The broadcaster's 14-race schedule begins in Iowa and ends in November with ...

06/08/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 25: Chicago Bears Katlin Strange - Serving the Masses in the Windy City

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

06/08/2026

Warner Bros Discovery's Anne Graham Details the Organization's Media-Ops and Metadata Consolidation Across Sports and Entertainment

As media organizations consolidate teams, technology platforms, and content libr...

06/08/2026

Dolby Vision 2 Begins Rollout on Selected 2026 Hisense TVs

Firmware updates introduce Dolby's next-generation picture engine, content-aware optimization, and new motion and ambient-light tools...

06/08/2026

TNT Sports Preps Wall-to-Wall Coverage of FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 from Sept. 4-13

TNT Sports will have wall-to-wall coverage of the upcoming FIBA Women's Bask...

06/08/2026

IBC 2026: swXtch.io Introduces groundSwXtch Software-Defined Multicast Overlay

swXtch.io (Stand 5.MR13) has unveiled groundSwXtch for Audio over IP (AoIP), a software application that lets broadcasters and media organizations move audio in...

06/08/2026

IBC 2026: Riedel Communications Showcases Integrated IP Production Workflows

At IBC2026, Riedel Communications (Stands: 10.A24, 10.A31, 10.A38) will bring modern media production to life with the Live Production Experience - a connected ...

06/08/2026

Sandy Grossman's Legacy as a Pioneering Director Earns Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Award

The first live-sports director to receive the prestigious honor, eight-time Emmy...

06/08/2026

NBC Sports, Maryland Jockey Club Continue Partnership To Present Preakness Stakes Through 2032

NBC Sports will continue to present the Preakness Stakes on NBC and Peacock thro...

06/08/2026

IBC 2026: Cobalt Digital Brings New Practical Solutions to Evolving Broadcast Workflows

Cobalt Digital (Stand 8.F90) continues to reinforce its commitment to delivering...

06/08/2026

Wave Central Elevates Jeff Daubert to Director of Sales, Americas

Wave Central has promoted promotion Jeff Daubert to Director of Sales, Americas. In his expanded role, Daubert will lead Wave Central's sales strategy and ...

06/08/2026

KMH Integration Adds Architect Keith Hanadel to Expanding Full-Services Team

KMH Integration is expanding its ability to serve media, broadcast, and IT organizations by adding Keith Hanadel, an accomplished architect with decades of indu...

06/08/2026

Advanced Systems Group Promotes Michele Ferreira to Chief Business Officer

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has promoted Michele Ferreira from Vice President of its Systems Integration team to the newly created position of Chief Business O...

06/08/2026

IBC2026: Appear Expands X, VX Platforms for Hybrid Live-Production Workflows

Demonstrations will include new JPEG XS, Dolby audio, cloud-gateway, stream-processing, and distribution capabilities...

06/08/2026

Live Media Group Acquires Gravity Media's U.S. Mobile-Production Assets, Adds Eight Units to Fleet

The deal includes three premium mobile units, engineering personnel, existing br...

06/08/2026

Broadcast Management Group, LiveU Power Vertical REMI Production for Amazon Prime's Obsessed Fest on TikTok

Broadcast Management Group produced Amazon Prime's inaugural Obsessed Fest a...

06/08/2026

IBC2026: Ikegami to Showcase Expanded UNICAM Camera and Monitoring Lineup

Exhibit will feature new variable-ND functionality, OLED viewfinders, remote-camera tools, and UHD production monitors...

06/08/2026

Sony Introduces FE 100-400mm Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens

Compact full-frame E-mount lens targets sports, wildlife, and other long-range shooting applications...

06/08/2026

Tennis Channel Lands Exclusive U.S. Coverage of 2026 International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Live broadcast will honor Roger Federer and Mary Carillo on Aug. 29, with onsite...

06/08/2026

UTEP Upgrades Sun Bowl Stadium Video Display With Daktronics

End-zone board receives higher-resolution LED technology and an updated Show Control system ahead of the 2026 football season...

06/08/2026

Fender launch Fender Motion controllers

New 16- and 32-pad MIDI controllers now available Fender have just announced that the two new performance-focused controllers that were unveiled at NAMM 202...

06/08/2026

Lewitt update Space Replicator plug-in

Standalone version, performance improvements & more Lewitt have just released a significant update for their speaker and room virtualisation software, intro...

06/08/2026

Hallowed Bells from ebbandflow

Combines celeste samples with synth engine After launching earlier in 2026 with deFORM, ebbandflow have returned with their first sampled acoustic instrumen...

06/08/2026

SGL Carbon: Still on track to meet its 2026 annual targets

SGL Carbon's consolidated sales in the first half of 2026 totaled 394.2 million, down 13.0% from the prior year (H1 2025: 453.2 million). On the one hand,...

06/08/2026

BritBox & BBC's Poirot Origin Series Hercule' Reveals Cast

The BBC has announced casting for the forthcoming six-part series Hercule from Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited. Joining Bluemel are Henry Ashton (A ...

06/08/2026

FCC Votes to Modify TV Station Ownership Caps

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

LTN Showcases Live Event Master Control Capabilities for...

Proven offering builds on more than 20,000 live sporting events with greater automation, flexibility, and operational control LTN , the industry leader in tran...

06/08/2026

Hornets Tech brings new encoder and decoder range to IBC2...

Hornets Tech, a specialist in broadcast connectivity and IP video, is bringing a new range of encoders, decoders and an IPTV platform to IBC2026. Broadcast in...

06/08/2026

Introducing Adobe for ChatGPT: Create, edit and get work done - all in ChatGPT

Introducing Adobe for ChatGPT: Create, edit and get work done - all in ChatGPT Deepti Pradeep August 6, 2026 0 Comments The Adobe plugin in ChatGPT br...

06/08/2026

Hisense Adds Dolby Vision 2 to Select Models

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

MediaKind to showcase one unified portfolio at IBC2026

At IBC2026, MediaKind will make its first major appearance as a unified global powerhouse in video, showcasing one of the world's most comprehensive video i...

06/08/2026

Big Blue Marble to unveil AI-assisted piracy detection an...

Big Blue Marble (#5.A63) will demonstrate how its integrated technology and operational expertise help media companies scale premium services with less complexi...

06/08/2026

NIH expected to award Scripps Research nearly $4.2 million over 5 years to advance tools for vaccine design

LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research has received more than $500,000 in first-year fund...

06/08/2026

Improving vaccine design for Ebola, HIV and more

LA JOLLA, CA-Viruses are masters at invading our cells thanks to specialized proteins that coat their surfaces. When scientists design vaccines, they often crea...

06/08/2026

How a chemical reaction triggers brain inflammation in Alzheimer's disease

LA JOLLA, CA-The brain has its own immune system, which detects threats and mounts a defense. A growing body of evidence has shown that in Alzheimer's disea...

06/08/2026

Jin-Quan Yu elected to the National Academy of Sciences

LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research chemist Jin-Quan Yu has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve....