{"id":22681,"date":"2024-01-30T07:42:45","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T15:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pugetsystems.com\/?post_type=case_study&p=22681"},"modified":"2025-06-17T09:51:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T16:51:17","slug":"powering-virtual-production-with-camp-lucky","status":"publish","type":"case_study","link":"https:\/\/www.pugetsystems.com\/featured\/powering-virtual-production-with-camp-lucky\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering Virtual Production with Camp Lucky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/span>\""The
\n\t\n\n
\n
\n

Powering Virtual Production with Camp Lucky<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Jason Starne at Camp Lucky about how virtual production enables them to “create wildly immersive and creative ad campaigns for their clients.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Production. What\u2019s the first thing that comes to mind? Hollywood and a revolutionary new form of filmmaking? The Mandalorian? Batman? Blade Runner 2049? You\u2019d be right on all counts. Hollywood and beyond is buzzing with talk of virtual production and how it is changing moviemaking forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s more to this story. Much more. And it goes beyond Hollywood, movies, and Netflix productions. How about that stunningly gorgeous Dodge Ram commercial in which a young woman drives through the Vegas Strip, its glimmering, iconic lights bathing the truck aglow as it cruises down The Strip, ending up in the foothills with a stunning panoramic view of Las Vegas at night. But wait. Something\u2019s not quite right here. Anyone who\u2019s been to Las Vegas knows that no such vista exists. At least not right outside the city limits. So how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Production. Because virtual production is not just about Hollywood, or Netflix, or the next blockbuster film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Production Takes on Advertising: Meet Camp Lucky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMadison Avenue\u201d has taken notice too. The forward-thinking creatives out there in the marketing and advertising world are waking up to the idea that now, because of virtual production, there are no limits to their creativity. During the recently-resolved writers and actors guild strike that crippled Hollywood, forward-thinking production studios have begun fully embracing virtual production to create wildly immersive and creative ad campaigns for their clients. Studios like Camp Lucky<\/a> based in Dallas, Texas have gone all in on Virtual Production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recently spoke with Jason Starne, a media and entertainment technologist with over 25 years of experience implementing technologies to facilitate creative processes. He\u2019s currently the  Director of Virtual Production at Camp Lucky, spearheading innovative initiatives in this burgeoning field. His professional experience covers a blend of vision, creativity, and business acumen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a specialty in crafting production and post-production workflows, Jason has left an indelible mark through collaborations with industry titans such as Disney, Warner Media, Tyler Perry Studios, and even NASA. Yet, Jason’s impact extends beyond conventional filmmaking boundaries. His career has been dedicated to seamlessly merging production and post-production, reshaping workflows in the process, leveraging his extensive experience and mastery of VFX, CGI, and editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason shared with us how he made the transition into the world of virtual production and quickly became enthralled with the technology behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was with CineSys Inc, a systems integrator specializing in Media & Entertainment, holding the title of VP of Media Solutions and decided it was time to shift my focus to the new industry disrupter that is virtual production. But I knew, it\u2019s not that simple and began looking into it, collecting as much information as I could. First and foremost I dove in and started to learn Unreal Engine, which was the logical step given my background in 3D.  I understood that world based on my experience with VFX and CGI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was around that time that Camp Lucky called and asked me to come check out their stages. I saw what they were already doing and where they wanted to move into, and it convinced me to join the team! And the rest is history!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
\n\t\n
\n
\n\t

During the recently-resolved writers and actors guild strike that crippled Hollywood, forward-thinking production studios have begun fully embracing virtual production to create wildly immersive and creative ad campaigns for their clients. Studios like Camp Lucky<\/a> based in Dallas, Texas have gone all in on Virtual Production.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Kevin Bourke<\/cite>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Camp Lucky Invests in Virtual Production, Leads in Innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As Jason describes it, their state-of-the-art volume provides a \u201cnever-ending canvas for agencies, clients, brands, and artists alike.\u201d Camp Lucky is providing the region with the only system of its kind; it is a technical wonder full of possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Volume at Camp Lucky features a 51 linear foot, J-shaped LED Volume standing 15 feet tall with 3400 square feet of vehicle-friendly support space. The infrastructure of the Volume is a collection of high-definition LED panels stacked to create a \u2018wall\u2019 presenting as a single giant screen. The wall, or Volume, displays computer-generated photorealistic backdrops that work in combination with live-action actors, sets, props, and objects creating a seamless in-camera environment.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Filming
Filming Las Vegas, Recreated in The Volume at Camp Lucky<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Jason continued, \u201cOur XR stage incorporates 3 Unreal Engine systems to drive the 1.9mm pitch, 8K (7680\u00d72304) native resolution imaging system. The stage also utilizes the MoSys Startracker camera system for full control of the camera inside the Unreal environment as well as Pixera One software for handling any plate work. And all of this needs some serious system hardware to run it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Virtual Production = System Horsepower: Enter Puget Systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Jason\u2019s expertise as a VFX and CG artist, he was already experienced with custom system builds while working with his previous employer, CineSys. \u201cWhen CineSys was building custom workstations, I heard about Puget Systems and had an idea of what they were all about. I knew they focused on \u2018purpose-built\u2019 machines, and that\u2019s exactly what we needed to drive the volume at Camp Lucky – that\u2019s what started our partnership with Puget Systems!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat Dodge Ram commercial required some serious horsepower and stability, so I was thankful we had our Puget Systems workstations powering everything. I might mention its not just being comfortable about our hardware handling our scenes but also the comfort of having the technical team of Puget at the ready in the rare case something did go wrong with our workstations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n