Tyler Perry Studios adds virtual production-enabled soundstage

Credit: Curtis Compton

Credit: Curtis Compton

TPS is converting one of its existing soundstages into the new facility. The new soundstage is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

The announcement signals Tyler Perry is pushing to incorporate more emerging technologies into his namesake campus. More than two years ago, he said he would ax an $800 million planned expansion of the studio because of concerns that artificial intelligence would reduce demand for traditional filmmaking. That decision also came during a period of declining production in Atlanta and the United States at large.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

The announcement emphasizes the stage will keep crews at the center of the process. Changes in workflow and technology typically usher in concerns over jobs.

“I’m paying close attention to what these tools can do, and I’m also thinking about the people who make this industry work,” Perry said in a statement. “This collaboration is about moving forward in a way that keeps crews working and traditional production jobs intact while also allowing creatives new ways to build worlds and tell stories for the big and small screens.”

The stage is a partnership with Los Angeles-based Synapse Virtual Production, which operates its flagship virtual production LED stage at Los Angeles Center Studios. Synapse uses AI-supported tools for various aspects of the virtual production workflow, including look development, environment capture and asset iteration, according to the announcement.

Virtual production allows filmmakers to create photoreal, interactive digital environments using an LED wall. Think of it like rear projection for the modern age, or a souped-up version of a green screen.

There are a number of benefits to using virtual production. Times Square can be re-created on a soundstage without having to shut down any of the congested junctions. So can a busy airport terminal, the inside of a cave or the surface of another planet. This cuts down on time and money spent building or finding and securing access to these sets, as well as the time and money spent in post-production trying to turn a green or blue screen into these environments.

The new TPS stage is not the first virtual production-enabled stage in Atlanta. Trilith Studios’ Lux stage opened in 2022, counting Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” as its first production.

Perry opened his sprawling campus in 2019 with 12 soundstages and an expansive backlot with replicas of the White House, a suburban subdivision and trailer park, among other sets. It’s larger in acreage than any of the major studios in Los Angeles.

Several film and television projects have passed through the studio, including “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Coming 2 America,” and game shows such as “Family Feud” and now “Shark Tank.” Many of Perry’s own projects shoot on the campus, including “Sistas,” “Ruth & Boaz” and “Zatima.”

Credit: BET

Credit: BET

The Synapse soundstage will be available for third-party usage, as with all other facilities at TPS.

In a statement, John Morris, the executive vice president of studio operations at TPS, said the addition is another major step in expanding production resources at the studio and strengthens its ability to “serve both our own productions and third-party filmmakers with industry-leading technology.”