Specialist TV, Film, Green-Screen and Virtual Production Studio Consultancy
Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts (SODA) is a purpose-built creative technology facility designed to support education, research and collaboration across film, television, animation, games design and digital media.
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the award-winning building brings together professional production facilities, digital innovation spaces, editing suites and specialist teaching environments within a flexible, multidisciplinary creative hub.
Drama by Design was appointed as specialist studio consultant, working with the University, architects and technical project teams to establish the production requirements and develop the technical specifications for the specialist studio facilities.
The project incorporates two green-screen television studios, a film studio, a flexible production studio, a stop-motion studio and two motion capture studios. Supporting facilities include production galleries, editing and post-production suites, together with associated technical infrastructure.
The studios were designed to support professional production workflows while remaining accessible and adaptable for educational use. Specialist systems include production lighting, camera infrastructure, technical signal distribution, communications and control facilities, alongside motion capture and real-time virtual production technologies.
Virtual production capabilities include camera tracking and integration with real-time graphics, enabling students to explore the relationship between physical studio production and computer-generated environments.
An important aspect of the project was ensuring that the individual facilities could support different teaching activities and accommodate changes in production technology over time. This required close coordination between studio planning, technical systems, architectural design and the wider building infrastructure.
Drama by Design worked alongside the specialist systems integrators, including ATG Danmon and CJP Broadcast, to coordinate the technical proposals and support the development and delivery of the facilities.
Completed in 2021, SODA provides a comprehensive environment for creative production and technical education, bringing together conventional television and film production, motion capture, virtual production and digital media within a single building.
Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts received a RIBA North West Award in 2023, recognising the architectural quality and innovative approach to creative education. Drama by Design is credited by RIBA as the specialist studio consultant on the project.
The project demonstrates Drama by Design’s experience in independent television studio design, green-screen studio consultancy, virtual production infrastructure and specialist technical coordination for higher education facilities.
For further information about our services, visit our Studio Consultancy page.
