Brompton processing powers LAMDA’s professional-grade virtual production studio
June 18: Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processing platform is at the core of a state-of-the-art virtual production studio at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), one of the world’s most respected drama training institutions. Supplied and integrated by Universal Pixels, the installation forms part of a significant strategic investment by LAMDA in emerging screen technologies, and is already reshaping how the school trains the next generation of creative professionals.
The studio is centred around a 7m wide by 3.5m high LED volume of AOTO RM 2.3 panels on a gently curved structure using 2.5° panel increments, and driven by a Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 LED processor alongside two Tessera XD 10G data distribution units. Running in conjunction with Unreal Engine, the volume renders real-time environments ranging from photorealistic exteriors to fully abstract sci-fi worlds. It sits alongside a dedicated 30-camera Vicon motion capture volume with a sprung floor, a combination that places LAMDA’s facility among the most technically advanced of any drama school in the UK.
Rather than treating the technology as an add-on, LAMDA has made the LED volume a genuine academic priority. It features across the school’s full range of programmes, from its Foundation in Stage and Screen (CertHE) and BA Professional Acting through to MA/MFA courses in Classical Acting, Musical Theatre, and Professional Acting. The new studio serves as a shared space where acting, directing, and production & technical arts students work together, mirroring real-world virtual production practice.
The choice of Brompton processing was a considered one. Head of Innovation Bethany McShepherd is clear that LAMDA’s students deserve nothing less than the tools they will encounter in the industry. “LAMDA’s graduates are the future of the creative industries,” she says. “Investing in their careers with the very best technology and the very best training is what matters most to our institution.”
With LED volumes now standard on high-end film and TV productions, from prestige streaming drama to commercials, students working inside LAMDA’s volume engage with the same workflows, technical language, and environmental demands they will meet on professional sets, long before they graduate.
Charles Douglas, Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing with Emerging Technologies and Head of Screen & Audio Training, sees the potential as transformative. “This technology opens the door to XR or mixed reality, to new ways of making films, and to extending the physical stage and the spaces in which we work,” he says. “Using it in practice is one thing, but it’s also an invitation to reimagine the frame of what we do. That’s an important departmental mandate for us, to catalyse a new chapter of performance and storytelling.”
Brompton’s API has also become an integral part of how students are taught to work on set. Through an integration with BitFocus Companion, test patterns can be triggered via a Steam Deck, enabling students to quickly identify hardware or cabling issues and move efficiently through the troubleshooting process. The reliability and colour consistency of the Tessera platform, meanwhile, give LAMDA the confidence to use the volume not just for student projects, but for professional-grade output: the system supports graduate films, commercial digital assets, and collaborative research productions with equal consistency.
That professional reach is already evident in the work produced. A short film made in partnership with Media Trust, funded by The Crucible Foundation and based on stories from Prison Reading Groups, was shot entirely within the volume and features actor Ralph Ineson. The space has also played a central role in the LAMDA x Lyric Future Technicians Programme, a widening participation initiative delivered with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, through which a cohort of young people from West London recently got hands-on experience with professional filmmaking infrastructure. For many, this was their first encounter with this level of technology. For Assistant Professor of Screen Acting, Gary Pillai, the purpose of all of it is straightforward: “Our remit now is to understand that and make sure our graduates are really able to walk into the profession, and the screen acting element of the industry, straight away.”
“We were proud to work with LAMDA on this project, supplying the technology that gives students hands-on access to professional production workflows used throughout the film and TV industry,” adds Dan Edmonds, Film & TV at Universal Pixels. “Facilities like this play an important role in bridging the gap between education and industry, helping students gain practical experience with the tools they’ll use throughout their careers.”
Beyond the technical specification, LAMDA’s relationship with Brompton reflects something deeper. The school’s strategy is built around a ‘Partnership First’ principle, and Head of Marketing & Communications, Stephen Court, describes Brompton as a direct expression of that approach. “Brompton Technology is a prime example of a partner who shares our values of being inquisitive, innovative, and inspiring,” he says.
The scalability and forward compatibility of Brompton’s platform mean the investment is built to evolve alongside both the curriculum and the wider industry. “It’s not just about servicing the industry with skilled talent,” Douglas concludes. “It’s about actively working with innovative productions at LAMDA to move both training and practice forward.”
The volume has been operational for just over a year. On the strength of its first 12 months, it is clear this is only the beginning.
