IBC Accelerator Bringing Order to the Studio‑Selection Process

IBC 

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A new project, kickstarted and nurtured as an IBC Accelerator, aims to deploy digital twin technology to streamline discoverability of the UK’s studio space and help producers make smarter, more sustainable choices.

The IBC Accelerator project will look to solve a problem that almost everyone in modern production silently acknowledges: the studio landscape, especially around virtual production (VP), is fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to navigate. For commissioners, producers, and line producers, simply understanding what exists, what’s possible, and what’s sustainable often requires weeks of calls, recces, guesswork, and duplicated effort. 

Robin Cramp, Head of Advanced Media Production Studios at Digital Catapult, says the challenge became clear the moment his team began mapping the UK’s rapidly expanding studio ecosystem.

“Anything new and evolving needs an element of understanding,” Cramp explains. “Virtual production, motion capture, volumetric capture - these technologies have accelerated so fast that everyone has built their own baseline of what they think the landscape looks like. The result is fragmentation. Producers don’t have a clear way to compare studios, understand capability, or assess feasibility early enough in the process.”

Voopla—named with a playful nod to Zoopla—aims to change that.

Fragmentation, uncertainty and sustainability blind spots

Cramp describes three core pain points:

• Fragmented knowledge Studios range from commercial VP facilities to university R&D labs to traditional broadcast spaces. Capabilities vary wildly. Information is inconsistent. Producers rely on word‑of‑mouth, Google searches or outdated lists.
• Inefficient early‑stage decision‑making Before a project is greenlit, teams need to know whether a studio can support the creative, technical and operational demands of a production. Today, that often means multiple physical recces, travel, and manual comparisons.
• Sustainability is bolted on, not built in Most productions rely on Bafta Albert accreditation, but as Cramp notes, “it’s like marking your own homework.” There’s no standardised way to understand the environmental footprint of a studio and the footprint of the specific technologies a production brings into it.

“This results in uncertainty and inefficiency, and missed opportunities to make smarter, more cost-efficient and greener decisions earlier,” Cramp says.

A production‑accurate digital twin workflow

Voopla will prototype, test and validate a decision‑ready digital twin workflow that allows producers to explore, compare and pre‑produce inside studio spaces before stepping foot in them.

The innovation lies in combining technologies that are rarely used this early in the commissioning process. These range from photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning to Gaussian Splatting, Real‑time simulation, use of IoT data layers and even optional VR access for immersive scouting.

These elements form a shared decision‑making layer that integrates creative, technical, operational and sustainability insight into one workflow.

“If you can scout a studio digitally you can also block shots and check door widths for example or test whether that giant tree in the script actually fits, before you’ve travelled anywhere. You reduce risk. You reduce cost and time and increase confidence,” Cramp says. “And you embed sustainability intelligence from the very start.”

How Voopla works

The prototype, debuting at IBC2026, will walk visitors through three studio journeys—each representing a different type of facility:

• A Digital Catapult advanced media production studio
• An ITV daytime broadcast studio
• A third partner studio (traditional, non‑VP)

The workflow begins with a directory‑style overview of the UK studio landscape. Producers can filter by location, capability, or production requirements. But the directory is only the entry point.

Once a shortlist is created, Voopla generates production‑specific sustainability and capability reports, similar to an EPC rating for homes. These reports reflect not only the studio’s footprint but also the impact of the equipment and technologies a production intends to bring.

From there, users can enter the digital twin (via web or VR) to scout, plan and pre‑produce.

“We’re not building a finished product,” Cramp emphasises. “This is year one. The goal is to tell a compelling story, demonstrate the workflow, and gather industry feedback. The aim is to scale Voopla across the UK’s studio ecosystem but the conversations at IBC will shape what comes next.”

Industry collaboration and global relevance

Voopla is built in collaboration with broadcasters, studio owners and technology partners. Digital Catapult’s National Digital Twin Centre in Belfast contributes expertise in data modelling and energy visualisation. Partners such as Shure bring insight into studio‑specific technologies like line‑array microphones. Virtual production specialists contribute workflows around Gaussian Splatting and real‑time simulation.

The aim is to create a repeatable, internationally scalable blueprint for more confident and sustainable studio commissioning—across broadcast, film, commercials, games and immersive media.

“Whether you’re making daytime TV, episodic drama, commercials or games, you’d be remiss not to understand virtual production,” Cramp says. “But everyone’s journey has been different. Voopla brings order to that.”

Where Voopla goes next

Voopla’s first year is intentionally focused: prototype the workflow, demonstrate it live, and gather industry input. But the long‑term potential is far larger.

Cramp notes that scaling Voopla would require industry‑wide participation—and careful handling of studio privacy and proprietary data. Some studios may initially resist scanning or sustainability disclosure. But as he points out, the industry is racing toward 2030 carbon‑neutral pledges.

“Broadcasters will start dialling up sustainability requirements. The pound they spend will need to go to the right places. Voopla could become a validation mechanism—a badge of best practice.”

Temporary spaces, warehouse conversions, pop‑up VP stages and hybrid facilities could all be included in future iterations. So could talent rosters, VP supervisors, and other human‑expertise layers that often define a studio’s real capability.

First comes IBC2026.

Cramp says, “If we can land the concept, take people on the journey, and leave them wanting more. That’s success for year one.”

There are a number of champions and partners to the project.

Hemini Metha, Senior Sustainability Lead, EBU, says “Sustainability is not optional for Public Service Media; it is a core operational requirement. Having one dedicated Studio Hub, VooPla, to locate all the relevant information will reduce our time and make our day-to-day lives easier.”

Ian Nock, Chair IET Media Technical Network says, “The Institution of Engineering Technology has as its primary aim to be engineering a better world, and nowhere is this more key than championing innovation as presented by Voopla. It is focused on creating and applying a Digital Twin to make more effective the key decision making for virtual production, taking into account sustainability right from the start. This is an important step in ensuring that sustainability is embedded in all decisions for the production of content.”