BBC News NI education and arts correspondent
Patrick Hughes
ReutersProf Declan Keeney from Ulster University is leading the university’s team running the studio.
He previously said it would allow people to create any environment “anywhere in the universe” whilst filming in Belfast.
“We can now create Morocco in magic hour and we’re able to film in that for 12 hours, right here in the harbour,” he said when the details of the project were unveiled in 2023.
“You can imagine that makes possible new projects in Northern Ireland that previously were impossible.”
Patrick HughesOne of the first productions set to use Studio Ulster is a BBC Northern Ireland series, made by Belfast’s Stellify Media, detailing the sinking of the Titanic.
It will use the studio’s virtual and digital production facilities to tell the story of the sinking of the Titanic in real time using the accounts of passengers and crew.
According to NI Screen’s most recent business plan for 2024-25, Studio Ulster is expected to attract large-scale productions including TV drama and feature documentaries.
It is also expected to be a “virtual production centre of excellence”, which will help to increase the skills of the film and TV industry workforce in Northern Ireland, and students studying film, broadcast and production courses.
