How Door G Is Putting New England on Hollywood’s Production Map

While Door G is a studio designed for brand work and solving real-world pain points for retail marketing productions, Hollywood is also starting to take notice.

Since opening its studio doors in March of this year, Door G - New England’s newest full service creative and virtual production studio - has been busy. Very busy. Out of the gate, Door G has been working hard and moving quickly to not only introduce itself to the region, but to also begin shifting the perception that virtual production is a mysterious, complex and therefore expensive production capability reserved only for Lucasfilm. The fact is, Door G, in a very short time, is transforming retail marketing, working with some of the region's largest brands.

Real world challenges are increasingly hindering productions for retail brands, mainly because location shooting is expensive and disruptive, and it introduces pain points that may not be obvious or clear in the creative ideation process. In retail marketing, brick and mortar stores are oftentimes where brand equity is built - it’s the primary user experience for customers. But shooting in these spaces introduces a host of obstacles that add to the complexity - and expense - of a shoot. Securing permits, arranging overnight shoots to avoid customer disruption, repeated set builds, privacy concerns when shooting in pharmacies or clinic spaces, all quickly become prohibitive and will either compromise, or shut down a production before it even gets started.

Hollywood Northeast

Increasingly production companies from LA and other notable production hubs in the US, are showing up in New England. And they’re discovering that not only is New England idyllic for shooting, they’re finding the facilities to support their advanced needs are also here too - that’s where Door G comes in. Production companies and directors are discovering that Door G’s expansive, well-equipped studio space as well as its innovative hybrid approach to blending traditional production techniques with advanced virtual production workflows are a welcome addition.

This week the box office welcomes Ella McCay, a James Brooks film that follows a young, idealistic politician who is preparing to take over from her mentor, an aging governor. And case in point, James looked to Rhode Island for much of the filming.

And this is happening more and more in Rhode Island; a state rich in New England history with dynamic, charming, historic and simply stunning vistas which are increasingly the object of filmmakers' desires as the backdrop for their stories. Not to mention, the state of Rhode Island is paving the way for filmmakers to shoot here with aggressive tax incentives.

And Door G is well equipped and ready to handle whatever Hollywood throws its way - from feature film production to television episodics and even reality TV; the studio is outfitted to handle it all, while supporting location shoots.

“We are so excited for James and his entire crew on the release of Ella McCay,” said Steve Rosa, CEO of Door G. “It was great having James in our studio and to see his reaction to what we have to offer. And for me personally, it was a thrill to meet the man who has had such an inspiration in my career; I have been a fan of James’ work going back to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and anyone who knows my sense of humour, The Simpsons! He’s an inspiration.”

What Steve and his team have created is, quite frankly, unexpected and it catches filmmakers by surprise. Steve added, “While we’re in humble East Providence, we’ve built a facility that can handle just about anything big productions can throw at us. We even have an original London Taxi, a 1949 Austin FX3, that sparked a great conversation with James about his iconic TVs show, Taxi.”

Steve continued, “From logistical needs, like parking lots that can support trailers and vans, to fully-equipped and comfortable hair and makeup rooms, and comfortable lounges for talent to relax between takes - we can even accommodate automobiles on our virtual production stage for those incredibly immersive and slick driving scenes where the viewer will never realise that it was shot in virtual production. Here, producers can focus on the craft, not the hassle.”

The Studio

We’ve built our production studio to support smooth, flexible, and scalable shoots. Everything’s built for professionals who need reliability, efficiency, and room to move.

Studio features and amenities include:

• Full DMX lighting control
  
• Loading dock access and dedicated production vehicle parking
  
• Flexible support spaces for video village, crew dining, or events
  
• Production offices and high-speed conferencing
  
• Hair, makeup, and wardrobe rooms with greenroom privacy
  
• Conference rooms with live studio feed and instant playback
  
• Edit suites available for on-site reviews and post
  
• Climate control and backup power
  
• Single-phase 100-amp service with multiple distribution options

The Latest in Virtual Production Expertise

Earlier this year, Door G unveiled its advanced virtual production studio designed to deliver innovative, accessible and forward-thinking strategies to help bring global enterprise and consumer brands into an entirely new era of immersive brand engagement leveraging virtual production.

Door G’s virtual production studio combines physical sets with digital environments, blended seamlessly on a massive 'J-shaped' LED wall. Developed in collaboration with such industry-leading partners as Mo-Sys, INFiLED, NVIDIA, Brompton and Puget Systems, Door G’s virtual production stage integrates with Unreal Engine to enable this sustainable and visually stunning storytelling approach.

Door G is also the first creative virtual production studio on the east coast of the US to earn the esteemed 'EMA Green Seal for Studios' by the Environmental Media Association, which recognises productions and studios that meet rigorous standards for sustainability in entertainment. For nearly two decades, it has been a mark of leadership and innovation across the Industry. Environmentally-conscious brands and clients have embraced Door G’s sustainable practices of innovative and highly efficient virtual production workflows.

With Door G’s virtual production expertise, the team is able to eliminate the constraints of traditional locations while minimising the need for complex post-production. Production processes are more efficient, and more sustainable, a cornerstone priority for Door G.