EFD Studios Plans Largest Virtual Production Set In Europe, Training 

EFD Studios, an advanced tech rentals company based in Mexico, Colombia, the U.S. and Spain, has announced plans to open what it describes as the largest virtual set on the European continent. 

The facility will boast over 2,000 sq. meter (21,500 sq. feet) of set space equipped with LED technology and state-of-the-art computer and processing chain, Georgina Terán, EFD Studios CEO, announced at the Iberseries & Platino Industria industry forum in Madrid. 

The set will be located at EFD Studios in Boadilla del Monte., a 20 minutes drive west of Madrid, occupying a dedicated space of near half of the 5,000 sq. meter (54,000 sq. feet) headquarters of EFD Studios in Spain. EFD Studios is currently renovating the space to adapt it to the new needs. It aims to start operations in the second quarter of 2025 at the latest, a company spokesperson told Variety.  

While LED screens are transportable, EFD Studios will be a “permanent world-class LED volume which we will own,” the spokesperson added.

It will serve not only local productions but large scale international productions from any of the major studios, which are already EFD clients.

Firmly established in Mexico as a go-to company for rentals, EFD Studios  supplied Alexa 35 cameras with Hawk V-Lite lenses and a lighting system featuring SkyPanels and Asteras for Disney+’s La Maquina, starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, and on the Rodrigo Prieto-directed “Pedro Páramo,” the highest-profile Netflix series in Mexico, not only mobile lighting and grip equipment but also ARRI’s M-series lights, SkyPanels, power generators, and a Fisher Dolly 11. 

EFD Studios has been operating in Spain, collaborating with our other headquarters in Mexico, Colombia, the U.S. in key areas such as purchasing and strategic actions,” Terán noted.

At this year’s Conecta Fiction in June, it announced its intention to step up its presence in Spain both in rentals and post-production. One way that looks set to go has now been revealed. “Technological innovation is fundamental to EFD Studios’ value proposition and is at the heart of our company,” Terán told Variety. “We decided to take this risky step and enter into virtual production motivated mainly by this and by our strong commitment to promote a sustainable industry and virtual production combines these two missions,” she added.

Speaking to the importance of local audiovisual sectors at a Virtual Production: A Game-Changer panel at Iberseries & Platino Industria, Terán drilled down on its commitment to retaining regional top-tier talent in Spain and Mexico in order to accommodate industry growth. The company introducing two initiatives devoted to training and development, Circa 24 and the EFD Studios Academy.

In collaboration with Mexico’s Animal de Luz Films and its head, renowned producer Inna Payán (“La Jaula de Oro”), Circa 24 will focus on fostering film training in Mexico, honing-in on emerging talent.  With a multi-faceted training approach across both creative and technical arms of the industry, the program will provide participants with both theory and hands-on practice.

The EFD Studios Academy in Spain will focus on the technical side of the craft for burgeoning and established professionals, teaching high-demand, practical skills that founders hope will allow trainees to excel to meet the ever-high regional demands of the market by fusing training and industry while offering continuing education.