CHINA: DAWA Studio’s Yongchuan Virtual Production Studio in Chongqing is rapidly emerging as a cornerstone of technology-driven filmmaking in Western China, with Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED video processing platform playing a central role in enabling its advanced LED workflows for Phase II of the project, delivered in partnership with AOTO Electronics.

Strategically located in Yongchuan District with direct high-speed rail connectivity — just 15 minutes from Chongqing’s city centre and 50 minutes from Chengdu — the facility is positioned as a major hub for digital film and television production. Since its inception, the studio has scaled significantly, with Phase I, completed in May 2023, delivering 20,000m² of infrastructure including 6,000m² of soundstage space, while Phase II, completed in 2025, expands the footprint with five standard soundstages, including two high-tech studios, adding 32,800m² of stage space and enabling simultaneous operation of multiple mid- to large-scale productions.

At the core of the virtual production environment is AOTO’s RM1.9 LED display system, driven by Brompton’s Tessera platform. The flagship stage features a 60-metre-wide by 10-metre-high curved LED wall, complemented by four movable extension screens measuring 7 metres by 4.5 metres each, enabling rapid scene transitions and flexible shooting configurations.

To manage content processing and distribution across the LED volume, the installation incorporates 30 4K Tessera SX40 LED video processors alongside 60 Tessera XD 10G data distribution units. For the DAWA Studio team, the priority lies in ensuring flawless on-camera performance, with Brompton’s processing eliminating visual artefacts such as flicker, scan lines and moiré—critical factors in high-end virtual production workflows.

“On a stage like this, everything comes down to what the camera sees,” explains Tiezheng Yang, Production Director at Dawa (Chongqing) Imaging Technology Co., Ltd. “We needed a processing platform that gives us confidence in clean on-camera capture, particularly when productions are pushing challenging shutter settings and lighting. Brompton Technology is the processor of choice for many of the world’s leading virtual production stages, both domestically and internationally. This extensive, proven global adoption provides strong confidence and assurance in our technology decisions. Software features like ShutterSync, and the ability to preserve detail in darker areas, were key reasons for choosing Tessera LED processors.”

Core to this performance is Brompton’s ShutterSync technology, which synchronises LED refresh rates with camera shutters to eliminate visual inconsistencies, alongside Extended Bit Depth processing that enhances dynamic range — particularly in low-light scenes—ensuring greater detail retention during capture.

Beyond image fidelity, Tessera enables advanced colour management aligned with professional production standards, supporting colour spaces including ACEScg, DCI-P3 and BT.2020. Integration with real-time grading tools such as Pomfort Livegrade allows for precise, on-set colour adjustments, delivering a true ‘what you see is what you get’ workflow. For multi-camera productions, Frame Remapping ensures that cameras operating at different frame rates can simultaneously capture accurate imagery from a single LED volume, significantly improving shooting efficiency.

“Virtual production is at its best when it combines creative flexibility with operational reliability,” says Sebastian Kanabar, Head of Sales (APAC) at Brompton Technology. “DAWA Studio’s Yongchuan facility represents a significant investment in technology-driven filmmaking, and Tessera is designed for exactly this kind of environment, delivering clean on-camera performance, precise colour control and multi-camera efficiency, alongside the stability studios need day after day, while continuing to evolve through software updates to help protect long-term investment.”

The Yongchuan facility is built around a fully integrated virtual production ecosystem incorporating XR, VP and motion capture technologies, alongside a parallel pipeline based on real-time green screen workflows. Supporting infrastructure includes a digital human platform and a real-time rendering and intelligent computing centre equipped with 1,000 servers. Backed by an investment exceeding RMB one billion (nearly 109 million GBP) and supported by more than 200 patents and intellectual property rights, the project represents a significant leap in regional production capability.

Designed to streamline complex productions, the studio’s virtual production system can reduce costs for demanding scenes such as sci-fi and fantasy by up to 90 percent compared to traditional methods, while improving overall shooting efficiency by more than 55 percent. Since opening, the facility has already hosted over 50 film and television productions, including Project P, Resurrection and The Day I Happened to Come Back.

“Once known as a ‘natural film set’ and dubbed an ‘8D cyberpunk city’, Chongqing is now attracting productions from across the country through cutting-edge virtual production technology, turning creative imagination directly into on-screen reality,” says Chenliang, COO at Dawa (Chongqing) Imaging Technology Co., Ltd. “Plans for Phase III are already under way, with commissioning expected by late 2026 or early 2027. Even more new technologies will be introduced. The future is well worth anticipating.”

“Yongchuan is a strong example of virtual production scaling at pace, and we’re excited to see how DAWA Studio supports everything from commercials through to premium film and TV work as the facility continues to evolve,” Kanabar concludes.