Virtual Production: A New Era of Filmmaking.
Virtual Production:
A New Era of Filmmaking
If you haven’t heard about Virtual…there’s a lot to catch up on.
Want to learn about virtual production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun.
Need Production solutions and support?
Ulster County is the place to be.
Why shoot just anywhere when you can shoot ANYWHERE!?
You know by now that you can shoot anywhere at Cobalt Woodstock. You can shoot on the Moon, Mars, India or Sealy, Texas for that matter. LOL. That’s the magic of Virtual Production.
Yeah, but what if its less expensive or just plain easier to shoot on-location??? Well, we’ve got that too! Nature and beauty resound inside our studio and OUT! Shoot some of your feature out in the wild, and then slip inside!
AND, don’t forget to have a little fun while you’re here 😉
The Music.
We got to thinking about all the reasons folks in the Industry might want to get out of Brooklyn or LA this summer (and fall, and winter, and spring) to shoot up here in Woodstock… How would you like to shoot all day, and then wind down to live music with, say, Leo Kottke or world-class musicians at Levon Helm’s Studio (which is really an acoustic barn venue of all things 🙂 Seriously, we can’t get over how lucky we are to have world-class talent playing in our backyard at a venue with such legendary legacies.
Just a quick look at concerts coming up the area shows you how deep and wide the local music scene is. We’ve got everything from Buddy Guy to Alex G to James Taylor to Shania Twain. That’s not even getting into the festivals and local acts or people playing at breweries and bars all week long. You can literally can go out and see live music every night of the week if that’s your thing.
Obviously, a lot of this is the result of a little festival that happened in 1969 and all the artists who made the area THE place to record in the intervening years. But the Arts have an even deeper history in this area!
The Arts (and the Colony).
The Byrdcliffe Colony was established in 1902, officially bringing the Arts to the area. The Colony was an experiment in utopian living for the Arts and Crafts movement. Artists, thinkers, poets, writers and philosophers flocked to the area. The Colony still exists on 300 acres, and you can take a tour of it. Each year, they have 70 artists in residence and host exhibitions, events and live music.
The Colony has drawn famous artists and visitors alike: feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gillman, educator John Dewey, naturalist John Burroughs, musicians Leon Barzin and Bob Dylan, authors Will Durant and Thomas Mann, painters Milton and Sally Avery, George Bellows, and Philip Guston, photographer Eva Watson-Schutze, sculptor Eva Hesse, journalists Walter Weyl and Heywood Broun, poet Wallace Stevens, actress Helen Hayes and entertainer Chevy Chase.
The Connection.
Looking to connect with yourself? Or something Bigger? You can do that here, too. Head to the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, to brush up on your yoga, to take a sound bath, or to practice mindfulness. They offer workshops ranging from relationships, to holistic healing, to food. Nestled in the woods, it’s a soothing, restorative place to visit.
Mohonk Mountain House sits on a secluded mountain-top lake and offers luxury relaxation in the form of spas, massage and outdoor adventure. They’ve also got have 85 miles of trails where you can wander, hike to spectacular views and connect with nature. Dine in the main dining room, at the chef’s table or outside at the Granary.
Museums are great, but Ulster County has Opus 40, a one-of-a-kind sculpture garden and outdoor museum that sits on 6.5 acres and is surrounded by beautiful meadows and forested paths. Professor and artist, Harvey Fite, hand-sculpted Opus 40 entirely from bluestone harvested, on site and it was a decades-long endeavor. This National Register Historic site was called “One of the largest and most beguiling works of art on the entire continent.” by Architectural Digest.
Ulster County is the place to be.
Yes, we know you want to be here for the 40% NY State Tax Credit, but the truth is…There’s so much to do, see, hear and experience in Ulster County – wayyyy beyond working… Give us a call, and we’ll help you find a little fun!
Want to learn about virtual production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun.
Need Production solutions and support?
NJ vs. Upstate NY - What we've learned
NJ vs. Upstate NY - What we’ve learned…
| New Jersey | New York |
Up to 35% of qualified film production expenses | A WHOPPING 40% OFF in UPSTATE NY (at Cobalt Woodstock) AND 40% OFF on post-production costs as well |
OR 30% for expenses incurred for services performed and tangible personal property purchased for use at a sound stage or other location that is located in the state within a 30-mile radius of the intersection of Eighth Avenue/Central Park West, Broadway, and West 59th Street/Central Park South, New York, New York | AND Nearly DOUBLE the funding pot to $700 Million |
AND A post production carve out of $45 Million | |
AND More qualified ABOVE-THE-LINE costs, with double-caps: wages for writers, directors, producers, actors, and composers capped per individual at $500,000, and capped per production at 40% of qualified production costs
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AND Accelerated timeline in which new productions can claim their credit in the first production year! | |
AND Incentivized relocation of a series by allowing, for the first season in NY after relocation * relocation costs up to $6 Million
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AND A shortened timeline for a relocating talk/variety series to be in production before gaining eligibility from 5 years to 2 years |
Want to learn about virtual production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun.
Need Production solutions and support?
HAPPY JULY 4TH from COBALT
HAPPY JULY 4TH from COBALT
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman…
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value…
Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
– Thomas Paine
Learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production solutions and support?
Our New Stages Part 2!
Our New Stages Part 2!
Cobalt Woodstock.
The stages at Cobalt Woodstock are world class – built by producers, for producers. We offer ample production spaces, room for clients to stretch out and really settle in, a production office, a crafty kitchen, a gigantic prop room, and serious parking. We have a Hair and Make-Up Mezzanine with our Spa Trolley full of fresh slippers and robes, so your talent can get ready in a chill environment. We even have a Mediation Room for a little zen when you need it! Everything has been thoughtfully designed for maximum efficiency, comfort, and convenience.
We’re also a “more-is-more” soundstage. We provide more ceiling height, more hospitality , more smooth amenities, and more high-tech production tools than any other soundstage on the East Coast. Up for a spin with our eye opening Mo-Sys Virtual Production system? We take pride in our Swiss Army Knife-style preparedness. And YES… we honor the fact that streamlining complexity – even in accounting – is every producer’s love language. As always, once you’ve shot here, it’ll start to feel like home and you’ll wonder how you ever worked anywhere outside Hollywood on the Hudson 🙂
Learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production solutions and support?
Our new stages and floor plan!
COBALT WOODSTOCK
We built Cobalt Woodstock to offer a space that’s big enough for productions of any size. Now that we have multiple stages totaling a whopping 22,000 sq feet, we welcome not only our lovely commercial clients, but also TV episodics and features, boasting an entire building of production opportunity. We heard the rumblings of the newest Upstate New York Tax incentives, and didn’t want to be left out of the 40% rebate that surpasses NYC and even our New Jersey stage.
Stage 1
At 12,000 square feet, Stage 1 is our largest space. Ready to accommodate any project, we’re fully mapped for Virtual Production!! Of course, if you’re looking to shoot full practical, we can easily do that, as well. With ceilings that soar 36 feet at their highest point, we can handle pretty much anything. This massive space with ridiculous ceilings, is accessed through our gigantic Trojan-horse-sized sound vestibule doors – YES, Cobalt Woodstock is also a drive on stage!!
Stage 2
Stage 2 is an additional 7,000 square feet, which offers expansion space for a wide range of projects. Often in use, don’t hesitate to holler if you want to take advantage of the extra expanse! This stage is an add-on to our Main Stage – Stage 1.
Stage 3
Stage 3 is our tidy insert stage that’s 3,000 sq feet. Close to the Main Stage, yet completely private. Whether used as a control room, a catering hall, a still shoot, a VO recording, or for motion control (where you need a bit of isolation), it’s the ideal oasis that extends Cobalt’s upscale practicality—upstairs and conveniently located adjacent to our Vanity Dept.
And there’s no reason why you couldn’t take all 3 stages! Just take over the entire building for a couple months if that’s your thing 😉
We’re drawing attention… lots of it.
Our In-The-Pipeline projects include: A sci-fi episodic, a fantasy feature film, a sponsored episodic, and a web-based documentary all slated for Virtual Production! You don’t want to miss out – give us a ring to schedule a look – can’t wait to see you up here!
Learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production solutions and support?
When your work becomes your play.
Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development
May 2023 Newsletter
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs.
THIS is who we are! Our work has literally become our play! Every day it seems as though a new challenge presents itself with each call, text or email, but we jump in wholeheartedly because storytelling is genuinely what we love to do. ❤️
Learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production solutions and support?
Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development
Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development
May 2023 Newsletter
Earlier this month, Governor Hochul announced transformational changes to extend and enhance the New York State Film Tax Credit Program as part of the historic FY 2024 New York State Budget. These changes include increasing the annual allocation from $420 million to $700 million, extending the program by five years from 2029 through 2034, increasing the base credit percent from 25% to 30%, including double capped above-the-line wages as qualified costs, and more. This new credit will have a major impact Upstate, where productions can receive up to 40% credit for filming in most Upstate counties.
New York State Budget changes to the New York City Musical & Theatrical Tax Credit Program include a two-year program extension, $100 million increase in funding, and expanded eligibility for certain smaller “off Broadway” productions.
Read on for more updates from the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV):
Virtual Information Sessions: NYS Film Tax Credit Changes
The Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development is holding virtual information sessions to inform the industry of the newly expanded film tax credit program and answer questions. The first two sessions were held on May 10 and May 24 and were enthusiastically attended by nearly 400 industry professionals.
The next information session will take place on Wednesday, June 14. MPTV looks forward to hosting more information sessions and continuing the conversation about the exciting developments taking place in New York’s film and television industry. Over the next several months, MPTV will continue to update all materials including websites, applications, guidelines, and regulations to reflect these exciting changes.
Keeping our Communities Camera-Ready
On May 23, MPTV partnered with Film Albany to present a virtual fam tour led by Albany Film Commissioner Debby Goedeke. Attendees learned about filming in the City of Albany and Albany County and were taken on a virtual tour of many stunning area locations that have been used by productions like Succession, Billions, The Gilded Age, and White House Plumbers, to name a few. Attendees also heard from location manager Steve Grivno, who shared his experience working on White House Plumbers in the Capital Region.
Next, MPTV will head to Western NY to present a virtual fam tour with Buffalo Film Commissioner Tim Clark on June 29. Then we will travel back down the Hudson to present a virtual fam tour with Hudson Valley Film Commissioner Laurent Rejto on July 11.
To familiarize filmmakers with New York State’s many film-friendly and camera-ready agencies and the locations and resources they offer, MPTV will also host a virtual event with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) on July 25. The Port Authority will present New York State locations available for filming, provide information about filming protocols at their sites, and answer questions submitted by attendees.
Keep an eye out for more information about upcoming events with State agencies, regional film offices, and other partners about all New York has to offer filmmakers!
Investing in New York State Arts and Culture
Governor Hochul continues to support the many artists and creative organizations that call the Empire State home and enhance New York State arts and culture. Governor Hochul recently announced $82 million in New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) grants are now available for nonprofit arts and culture organizations and individual artists across New York State.
The Governor also announced $24 million in funding for 28 projects across the state through Round XII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. Congratulations to all the winning projects, especially the Social Impact Content Film School, which plans a state-of-the-art film school at its Downtown Yonkers campus, and the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, which will utilize grant funds to implement and promote special events to attract filmmakers and tourists from around the world. Round XIII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative was recently launched and the New York State Consolidated Funding Application is now open.
Governor Hochul also announced a plan to upgrade the Apollo Media Center in East Buffalo to support job training, youth programming and media production. The $962,000 state investment will help the Center acquire new equipment to expand media education to City residents who own a business and provide a safe creative outlet for young people to explore music and art, while also teaching skills in video production and coding to help familiarize them with media careers.
For more information, or to get in touch with the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development, please contact 212-803-2330 or nyfilm@esd.ny.gov.
Learn about Virtual Production and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production solutions and support?
It's Mo-Sys... not the other guy
It's Mo-Sys... not the other guy
We hear it all the time. Moses this, Moses that. Why are we always talking about Moses?
We love Moses, big fans, but the thing we’re talking about all the time is the MO-SYS virtual production system. Even though SO many people think we’re saying Moses.
Just to clear up the confusion, we made this handy dandy chart to help everyone distinguish between Mo-ses and Mo-Sys.
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Want to see our Mo-Sys in person?
Learn about Virtual Production
and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉
Need Production
solutions and support?
LG BTS: Virtual Production Case Study
LG BTS: Virtual Production Case Study
We recently had an opportunity to blow expectations right out of the water, and we wanted to share it with you via a production CASE STUDY.
THE ASK
We got a call at Cobalt HQ from the in-house marketing agency at LG on a Wednesday. You know LG – an international conglomerate that makes everything from TVs, dishwashers, cooktops, monitors, washing machines, vacuums… And so much more.
They had an urgent request: The marketing group was meeting with LG’s CEO of North American operations the following week on a Thursday… and they needed our help.
LG wanted to explore the suitability of Virtual Production (VP) for their entire line of products. They wanted to know if VP was a methodology that would retain their world class style and amazing production value while saving them money in the long term. Would this keep them from having to build, and hold over practical sets every time they wanted to shoot this year? Would Virtual Production obviate the need for cast, crew and clients to travel to disparate locations? All common questions…
The CEO was skeptical that Virtual Production would be able to produce photorealistic results in an abbreviated timeline. Saving money was one thing, but if the work looked fake, then of course, he wasn’t concerned about how much money was saved.
Naturally, we were up for the challenge. One week to make a huge impression on a massive global company at the highest levels? No big deal.
THE SOLUTION
The first thing we did was strategize an impactful approach. We know CEOs are busy, so we decided to take one of their products, create a way to showcase it, and then rewind the film to show them exactly how we did it… all in one neat little package.
The Weekend: We spent the weekend concepting, hiring talent, and assembling the team.
Monday: In the morning, we picked up a vacuum cleaner at a big box store. Then we designed the virtual set comprised of 3 different rooms.
Check out: Unreal Marketplace.
Tuesday (the Pre-Light): We laid flooring, positioned practical props within the virtual set, mounted our camera to our dana dolly, created garbage mattes, and rehearsed. Meanwhile, we pulled together wardrobe, ordered lighting equipment, and all the things you’d typically do over the course of a prep week. After recording a few rehearsals, we were all set to shoot.
Wednesday: While we did shoot through lunch, we were able to nail the spot in just 8 takes i.e half a day… The talent and crew we assembled were out of this world, and naturally, our co-directing team was pretty great, too!
THE RESULTS
Less than a week. It took our production studio less than a week to shoot a dynamic spot that was going to show off Virtual Production for the CEO of LG North America Operations.
By now you’re probably wondering how it was received?Well, it was a smash. The time-pressed CEO was so WOWED, he didn’t think twice. He green lit 12 commercials with our studio on the spot…
YES, YOU CAN deliver an astounding project, quickly and effortlessly, while saving significant production costs.
PLEASE NOTE:
The video you just saw was a direct output from Cobalt’s Mo-sys system. All LIVE composited at 4K.
Call us to discuss!
Learn about Virtual Production
and how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉