Watch this.
A Powerful Vision for Virtual Sets in 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0qsxOwxjL4
Watch this compelling side-by-side comparison of in-studio and finished Virtual Set footage.
Virtual Productions are Mainstream
These days, Virtual Sets are everywhere from “The Mandalorian” to the local TV news. Emmy award-winning producer and virtual visionary, Richard Janes, told the Chicago Tribune, “The future was definitely moving this way anyway... but with the streaming wars and COVID happening at the same time, everything has been fast-tracked.” We agree.
The Future of Production
“I think going forward (it’s) going to be less about the actual location and more about if soundstages and experienced crew are available,” Janes said. We agree again. Fortunately, at Cobalt, we’ve got a leg up! As the first to offer this Virtual Production technology to the public on the East Coast, we’re experts in the technology, and we can help you bring your vision to life—safely and convincingly.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
The Original Turnkey Soundstage
We're Built to Support Safe Shoot Productions
Image from a recent shoot at Cobalt
As a by-producers, for-producers soundstage, we streamline the client experience, and deliver uncompromising value by being Turnkey. We're happy to see the rest of the world catching up!
Turnkey is Trending
To serve productions better in a pandemic, soundstages are trying to retrofit themselves to deliver turnkey options. They're absolutely right to do so! Turnkey since 1994, we have all the tools and amenities you need on our premises, sanitized, and ready to roll. Everyone should be on board with that!
We Were Born This Way
Our Turnkey soundstage boasts the East Coast's most comprehensive on-site inventory of production tools and technology, and its very first Virtual Backlot. We've invested in World-Class Livestreaming equipment, Virtual Sets, Robotics for Remote Camerawork, high-end lenses, lights, and rigging tools. All that to say, we're always ready to support your Safe Shoot needs. We also include basics like: tables and chairs and extras like our emergency expendables, woodshop, and Home Ec Kitchen (to name a few). Turnkey has always been our model, so we've got it all figured out 😀
There's incredible value in being prepared with Turnkey tools—especially during last-minute crunches. Let's talk about your project, and how we can help make it seamless!
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Case Study: Using Our Two Locations in Tandem for a Pop Star's Global Livestream
Challenge
This past December, a Cobalt client needed to host a Global Livestream with the pop star Jessie J. The problem? Time zones. While other soundstages might have been able to host the project's gigantic LED wall, few have our advanced Livestream capabilities. And none that we've ever heard of has our secret weapon: a fully-furnished production pied-à-terre that's just a three-block stroll away from the action!
Hobo House 💥
Solution
The client took advantage of our "shoot here, stay here" offering putting up their pod of crew members at the Hoboken House. With Jessie J tuning in from LA, the crew set up a 9' x 16' wall of LED monitors to broadcast to grateful fans all around the world! The LED wall—similar to the ones we created for IBM and others—is just one of the many options our clients have for pandemic-smart projects.
Impact
With crew safely ensconced three blocks away at Hobo House, crew members could get some rest nearby while reporting for duty in shifts through the night for fans on the other side of the country—and the world! Jessie J's performance was recorded for posterity, and the crew was able to function brilliantly on a tough schedule. Got a tricky logistical or technical problem to solve?
Let's talk!
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Level Up Your Production in 2021
Here are 21 Ways Cobalt Can Help
1. Reimagine Your Soundstage
You CAN expect more from a soundstage! In a world of empty warehouse-type spaces, we strive to offer more—comprehensive tools, thoughtful amenities, a supportive team, and lots of room to spread out for Safe Shoots.
2. Lead the Way in Safe Shoots
We’re set apart from other stages so that you can have us all to yourself! Our uncrowded environment, our private spaces, our advanced Safe Shoot protocols, and our New Jersey location means you can focus on creating great work.
3. Get it all Onsite
Cobalt’s inventory of in-house production tools is curated and updated by seasoned professionals. We offer lighting, rigging, high-end lenses, precision robotics, world-class Livestreaming, Virtual Sets, and more!
4. Experience Turnkey
Why spend your budget on lights, rigging tools, and folding chairs when you can get everything you need, and more, right along with your stage? Cobalt saves you time and money by offering more of your production needs, a table d'hôte (the opposite of a la carte).
5. Get Comfortable
Over the past year, we’ve made our generous breakout spaces even more welcoming and convenient! Our versatile client and production rooms are ideal for undisturbed work, private meetings, social distancing, and more.
6. Make Magic With Us
Arthur Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” We have the tools and technology to make the magic, and we have the technical experts on hand to help you make the most of it.
7. Go Clean and Green
We’re committed to considering our impact on the environment. We do our part by investing in sustainable technologies like Virtual Sets, making our own green cleaning products, and clearing the air with an Ozone machines between shoots.
8. Support Woman-Owned
It’s rare to find a woman-owned soundstage, but we’re paving the way! Please join us in advancing gender equality in the Industry by supporting even more women-owned and led businesses and projects in 2021.
9. Shoot, Stay, & Work Here
The Hoboken House is the perfect place to park your production! Our chic, sun-drenched 2000 square foot Carriage House has three bedrooms and three full bathrooms—and it’s three blocks from our soundstage.
10. Take Advantage of Virtual Sets
With the East Coast's first Virtual Set offering, you can set scenes in any location you can imagine with all the control of a soundstage. PLUS using our Virtual Backlot reduces waste and the cost of crew hours. A win for your budget and the planet!
11. Enjoy Stress-Free Livestreaming
Our facility is hardwired with reliable 850 MB per second bandwidth! Collaborate with people anywhere, and reduce the number of people on set with our world-class Livestreaming setup AND our helpful experts.
12. Work With Production Advisors
We’re a by-producers, for-producers soundstage specializing in cutting-edge technology. Call us anytime for innovative and practical solutions to save your production time, money, and stress. We take the time to listen!
13. Make Friends With Robots
Cobalt’s Alex Fernbach is credited with inventing the first array camera used in the “Bullet Time” scene for “The Matrix.” These days, our tech guru and Moco Master, Alex, helps productions reduce crew sizes with Remote Camerawork and creative solutions!
14. Head West (of the Hudson, that is ;)
Here at “Hollywood on the Hudson,” we’re open and safe! Located just 15 minutes West of Midtown, Hoboken’s laid-back college town vibe is perfect for taking a breather from big city crowds and traffic.
15. Save Money in NJ
New Jersey’s Film & TV Tax Credit includes up to 35% percent of ABOVE AND BELOW the line on qualified expenses for productions in New Jersey while New York’s tax credit pertains to only below the line expenses.
16. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
At Cobalt, random last-minute needs won’t put your production on pause. Our inventory of “emergency expendables” is legendary. We even improvised a robotic “laser beam” on the spot for Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix special!
17. Spread Out & Stay Connected
Superior connectivity makes it effortless for you to multitask and monitor the production. At Cobalt, a live HD feed broadcasts from our soundstage to the client room, conference rooms, commercial prep kitchen, wardrobe, and makeup areas.
18. Get Creative
No two productions are the same, so our spaces are built to be ultra-flexible. We’re hosting Livestream, after complex Livestream, with productions making creative use of our two locations and copious breakout spaces!
19. Trust us for Tabletop
Produce and distribute content at the speed of change! Our highly-controlled Tabletop setup is second to none for cinematography and photography, and our Home Ec kitchen is fully-equipped and easy-to-reconfigure.
20. Use More, Pay Less
At some soundstages, your itemized bill looks like you went on a Whole Foods bender. We deliver the best value by offering generous free amenities and a comprehensive inventory of onsite production tools.
21. Make Us Your Secret Weapon
At Cobalt, we’re as passionate about production excellence as you are! We invite you to leverage our expertise and equipment, just like an extension of your team. We’d love to hear about your next production, and how we can help.
Ready to Level Up?
It’s 2021. It’s time. Let’s talk.
We’re Open & Safe
Safe shoots are happening here in Hoboken!
As this eventful year rolls to a close, we’re still doin' it 💥 Thank you all for keeping the Industry alive in this challenging time—we’re honored to support you safely through it. Here are some of the ways you can lean on us.
Shoot in Hoboken
Locked down in NYC? It’s okay - we gotcha. We’re 15 minutes from Midtown with a small-town relaxed vibe and lots of space to spread out.
Leverage The Hoboken House
Our furnished Carriage House is three blocks from our soundstage. Work, shoot, or stay here—OR even use it for offsite wellness screenings. That's what they do.
Benefit from our Safe Shoot Protocols
We thoroughly clean and disinfect everything, and then, run an industrial capacity ozone generator between shoots at no extra cost.
Access Turnkey Tools & Technology
Use our onsite Virtual Backlot, Motion Control Robotics, Livestreaming, Video Village, Lighting, Grip, Distro, camera gear and more.
Use our Breakout Spaces
Fully-networked rooms like our Production Suite, Conference Room, Client Room and Meditation Room to help maximize productivity.
Consult our Virtual Set Experts
As the East Coast's first soundstage to offer Virtual Sets to the public, our team has the in-depth experience to guide you.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Virtual Set is the Next Normal.
Productions like The Mandalorian are changing the game for how episodics are being created.
The Mandalorian’s interplanetary odyssey is shot on a soundstage using Virtual Set technology.
We can all see that digital transformation isn’t slowing down. To ensure that our Industry keeps pace, everyone needs to make friends with modern digital tools like Virtual Sets. Fortunately, for the East Coast, Cobalt's got it.
Digital Transformation for productions.
Think of the transition from film to video—we couldn’t imagine handy cams taking over, but here we are. We’re great believers in the tried-and-true, BUT there does come a time when NOT innovating becomes the bigger risk than sticking with what you know...
Science in the Service of Art.
With location travel largely off-limits, productions are seeing the silver lining: with our incredible virtual technology, your production can take place anywhere in the universe—past, present, or future. Virtual Sets practically eliminate set costs; they’re environmentally-friendly; and they’ve been around since 1994. So, for early adopters like us, they’re already tried and true. Virtual Sets are already “normal” for audiences. From “Black Panther” to “The Mandalorian”, anywhere you’re seeing imaginative, incredible backgrounds, you’re seeing Virtual Sets in action. And the Fact that you haven’t actually “seen” them PROVES how seamless and photorealistic they are. Virtual Set is everywhere, and you don’t even realize it... That’s the whole point ;)
Experience practical, creative solutions.
If you haven’t yet, now is the time to request a Demo of our Virtual Backlot— the 1st available to the public on the East Coast. While most experts in the field hold their technical expertise close to the vest, we share it openly. Let us show you what’s possible, and answer all your questions. Invest an hour of your time; get up to speed; and walk away with a whole new production toolkit in your repertoire.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Space to Spread Out
How Productions are Shooting Safely at Cobalt
Spreading out has never been more essential. Here’s what we offer in NJ and how Tri-State productions make the most of it at Cobalt.
Our Standalone Facility
Our highly-controlled boutique space hosts one production at a time, so YOU HAVE THE PLACE ALL TO YOURSELVES - No other productions germs, eek! It’s easy to social distance in our 12,000 square-foot facility with our 20-foot ceilings. And thankfully, Hoboken lends its small-town vibe to help productions feel safe ‘n sound and in control.
What we’re NOT:
An aggregation of many stages with lots of people from different productions in attendance.
Copious Breakout Spaces
Our 7,000 square-foot soundstage is supported by generous, networked breakout spaces that make it easy to social distance, have a private conversation, or just take a breather. Our pandemic-smart clients are using our garage more than ever—mostly as a catering space. Our Production Suite offers a private bathroom with a laundry machine that helps VIPs like Jerry Seinfeld make themselves at home. We also offer a Conference Room, Client Room, Home Ec Kitchen, and Meditation Room. Our Hair and Makeup Balcony has its own entry and stage access which is excellent for staying on top of things while safely getting in character.
What we’re NOT:
One big warehouse that you have to parcel out.
Hoboken and The Hoboken House
Located fifteen minutes from Midtown, our Hoboken town feels a world away from big city traffic and crowds. We also offer Hobo House, a separate 2,000 square foot Carriage House— three blocks from our soundstage where you can shoot, stay, and work. Clients have always made great use of its private courtyard, secure breezeway, and private patio by using these additional spaces for shipping and receiving, food tents, and a talent holding space. Now productions are using it as a clever "health screening stop" where people can drop in, be screened, and make their way over to our Main Stage three blocks away.
What we’re NOT:
Just a soundstage.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Filming in Hoboken: Safe Shoots with a Small Town Vibe
Aaron Sorkin Filming in Hoboken
Chill Out in "The Mile Square City"
Just fifteen minutes from Midtown, Hoboken's college town vibe feels a world away from big city traffic and crowds. We love coming to work in this laid-back village atmosphere, but our Hoboken home base is also prime real estate for productivity! Getting here is easy. Our Turnkey equipment inventory is second to none for convenience. And NJ's spacious and well-stocked prop shops, grip houses, and suppliers have big old American parking lots for easy drive-up access.
Shoot, Stay and Work at The Hoboken House
The Hoboken House is our sun-drenched 2000 square foot Carriage House, three blocks from our soundstage. This ultra-flexible furnished space has three bedrooms, three full baths, and a modern, Euro-style chef's kitchen. Hobo House's off-the-street private location is protected from the sights and sounds of street traffic by its insulated courtyard, and its secure breezeway enables worry-free shipping and receiving. Clients often set up the private patio as a food tent or talent holding space, too.
The Cobalt Experience
Repeat clients like HBO and Netflix have shared that their VIP’s ask for Cobalt because of our exclusive, social-distance-friendly VIP suite. Throughout our facilities, you'll find flexible, wired workspaces to enhance your team's efficiency, safety, and yes—happiness. And in addition to Video Village, World-Class Livestreaming, Motion Control Robotics, and the East Coast's first Virtual Backlot, you'll find extras like our Spa Trolley, Meditation Room, and cozy furnishings to help you feel good and stay focused.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
What is a Turnkey Soundstage?
Turkey means that all the tools and amenities you need are already here—sanitized and ready to roll.
As a “by-producers, for-producers” soundstage, we understand your need for streamlined processes, practical solutions, and uncompromising value. We believe that the most meaningful way to do that is by being Turnkey. Cobalt’s Turnkey status means that all the most sought after tools and amenities you need are already here—sanitized and ready to roll.
Basic Turnkey
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Awesome Additions
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New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.
Look Who's Shooting in New Jersey.
Seinfeld, Sopranos,
an Oscar-contender, and More.
Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
One of many major productions shot in New Jersey, and serious Oscar contender, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin, who won Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Social Network", is perhaps best known for the hit TV series “The West Wing.”
HBO's Long-awaited Sopranos Prequel.
Sopranos prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" is back in New Jersey shooting! To create this historical drama, Branford Place (a street in Newark) was transported back to the 1960s. This included, detailing storefronts, the old Adams Theatre marquee, and the retro neon sign for Hobby's Delicatessen.
Fun fact: A retired Newark police officer served as a technical adviser for the film :)
Annnnd Who's Shooting at Cobalt.
In the past year, we've hosted numerous Netflix and HBO comedy productions! Jerry Seinfeld's "23 Hours to Kill" and John Mulaney's "Sack Lunch Bunch" comedy specials both took advantage of our next-level VIP suite and amenities. "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" is a repeat client who chooses Cobalt for the convenience and confidence that only our Safe Shoots can deliver. In addition to these comedy shows, our pandemic-smart breakout spaces and vast "space to spread out" has attracted the NFL, the Metropolitan Opera, and a steady stream of commercial productions since we safely re-opened.
New Jersey leads the nation in safe shoots
and Hoboken is closer to midtown than Brooklyn.
If you haven't shot in NJ lately,
there’s a lot to catch up on.