National Film and Television School Hires for £75.6M CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is hiring a Senior Technician for the CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood Studios, a £75.6 million UKRI investment. This state-of-the-art converged media production stage is designed for R&D in broadcasting and streaming technology. The role involves operating and maintaining systems such as LED/projection, spatial audio, camera/motion tracking, ST-2110 IP media networks, and advanced AI compute.
Key Takeaways
- The CoSTAR Stage is a £75.6 million investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund, delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
- The facility is designed for R&D in converged media production, specifically for broadcasting and streaming technology.
- Key systems include LED/projection, spatial audio, camera/motion tracking, ST-2110 IP media networks, and advanced AI compute.
- The Senior Technician role involves operating and maintaining these advanced systems, supporting users in R&D projects.
- The CoSTAR Stage serves as a flexible R&D environment for film, television, live performance, immersive media, and gaming.
Why It Matters
The development of the CoSTAR Stage signifies a significant investment in advanced production R&D for the streaming and broadcast sectors. This dedicated facility aims to accelerate innovation in areas like IP media workflows and AI-driven content creation, critical for future content pipelines. As the industry increasingly relies on virtual production and real-time technologies, facilities like CoSTAR could influence best practices and technology adoption. Keep an eye on the types of projects emerging from CoSTAR for indicators of future production trends and technological requirements.
Additional Context
The CoSTAR National Lab, which includes the flagship CoSTAR Stage at Pinewood, is set to fully open in 2026, though a satellite facility, the Futures Studio, is already operational (CoSTAR Network, January 2025). Led by Royal Holloway, University of London, the National Lab partners with academic institutions like Abertay University and the University of Surrey, alongside industry giants like BT and Disguise. The initiative aims to provide advanced infrastructure, including a cloud-based Creative AI Compute facility with 20 NVIDIA H200 GPUs currently, expanding to 80 more by 2026, and a private BT 5G network (CoSTAR Network, January 2025). This focus on AI compute and private 5G networks highlights the strategic importance of real-time processing and secure, high-bandwidth connectivity for future creative workflows. The CoSTAR Stage intends to support smaller creative enterprises by offering accessible opportunities for experimentation in a de-risked environment, with £7 million in dedicated funding available (CoSTAR Network, January 2025). This suggests a broader effort to democratize access to advanced production technologies and foster innovation across the UK's creative industries.
Read full article at jobs24.co.uk
Get this in your inbox → Subscribe
Enjoy our coverage?
Add StreamingMeme as a preferred source on Google to see more of our streaming news at the top of your Search results.
Add as preferred source