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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2020
Supervising location manager
Duncan Jones/LMGI has filled
a critical film-tech service
gap in Australia with the
launch of Myriad Studios, a
merge between locations and
visual effects. Until Myriad,
Australian productions had
to import expensive LiDAR
and scanning teams from
the UK and US. What makes
Myriad Studios unique is
the melding of the founder's
range of skills. It's a great
alliance, where locations
solve VFX problems, and VFX
are addressing on-location
concerns. Through innovation,
technology and years of
experience, Team Myriad is
tackling these challenges,
taking advantage of LiDAR
and other new technologies
Jones
Launches
Myriad
Studios
on location. No longer solely
a post-production tool, VFX
is being applied to pre-vis
and production planning. In a
post COVID-19 film industry,
recovery will be enhanced with
the development and use of
virtual technologies.
Myriad prides itself as being
the only Australian company
dedicated entirely to the filming
and gaming industries. "Using
LiDAR scanners and specialized
cameras, the Myriad team
creates digital models of
locations, props and sets,"
Jones explains. "Our main
customers have traditionally
been the VFX departments
on major feature films, but
now directors, producers and
production designers are keen
to use our skills, providing
location options in advance of
filming."
Village Roadshow Studios
President Lynne Benzie said
it is great to have Myriad
Studios based here on the
Gold Coast."We are constantly
looking for exciting and
innovative businesses which
can expand our onsite
offerings and Myriad Studios
is a wonderful fit," she said.
Jones has had plenty of
experience working with VFX
as the SLM for Hollywood
blockbusters, including Thor:
Ragnarok and Aquaman. He
notes, "Launching Myriad
is an organic progression,
adding this technology
to the location mix. That
being said, it has been far
harder to learn than first
expected, and the learning
and development continues
every day. The good thing
(and reality) is we still
need location professionals
to source locations, seek
approvals for scanning and
secure it for commercial
use. I think I first realized
the power of the technology
during Aquaman—we needed
a sand dune to simulate the
Sahara Desert. We looked
for a range of really good
dune options in Australia
before deciding the most
practical and cost-effective
way of filming these scenes
was to build a sand dune on a
backlot.
I think of this as a step
forward, where location
managers can provide even
more diverse backdrops;
but without disruption to
communities and without
impacting the environment,
at manageable costs to
production. I can't think of
a more exciting time for
filmmaking. We are in the
midst of a transformational
shift within the industry,
where the future of large-
scale films on location will
only be enhanced by digital
technology. We are thoroughly
enjoying being part of that—
bringing this innovation to
Queensland and delivering it
to the world."
For more information, please
visit https://myriadstudios.
com.au/
Photo courtesy of Duncan Jones/LMGI
