In a monumental boost for the UK’s burgeoning screen and performance sectors, a groundbreaking £75.6 million research and development initiative has been launched. Spearheaded by a collaborative team from Edinburgh College of Art and Abertay University, this visionary project aims to revolutionize the landscape of games, animation, film, and television.
The partnership leverages Edinburgh’s global acclaim in film, television, and animation production, paired with its prowess in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Named the Convergent Screen Technologies and Performance in Realtime program—CoSTAR—this initiative is generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of a UK Government-backed multimillion-pound endeavor.
CoSTAR, unveiled at the prestigious Beyond Conference in London, marks a transformative milestone for the creative industries. This visionary program is set to create a network of cutting-edge labs across the UK, providing unparalleled infrastructure for pioneering research and development.
At the core of CoSTAR’s mission is the advancement of virtual production—a revolutionary cinematography technique harnessing computer-generated imagery (CGI), augmented reality, and motion capture. These technologies will facilitate the creation of immersive virtual film and performance sets.
The initiative’s primary CoSTAR Realtime Lab, under Abertay University’s leadership, will be stationed at Water’s Edge in Dundee, complemented by a secondary site at Edinburgh College of Art.
CoSTAR’s scope extends beyond academia, encompassing key partnerships with Chroma Developments, the Scottish Government’s Techscaler program, and Interface—the national funding hub. Additional support from Scottish Enterprise, Screen Scotland, and Amazon Web Services underscores the program’s commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable growth.
The CoSTAR initiative includes a strategic Insight and Foresight Unit, headquartered at the University of Edinburgh. This unit will analyze industry data and forecast potential future trends in the screen and performance sectors. Collaborating with Goldsmiths, University of London, the Foresight Lab, along with contributions from the British Film Institute and Loughborough University researchers, is poised to ensure the UK’s leadership in pioneering virtual production techniques for stage, screen, and live events.
With private investment reinforcing the program’s foundations, CoSTAR aims to solidify the UK’s position at the forefront of innovation in the screen and performance industries, shaping a dynamic future for creative excellence.
