Visual effects (VFX) and content company Dexter Studios hosted a kick-off ceremony for 2023 at its virtual production studio D1, and opened its doors for business this year.
The company announced on January 5 that it held a unique kick-off ceremony inspired by the concept of “virtual overseas travel” that suffers no restrictions in terms of time and space.
Established on January 4, 2012, Dexter Studios has been hosting a foundation day ceremony and kick-off ceremony on the same day every year, but due to the continued threat of COVID-19, both events had been offered online for the past three years. In 2021, Dexter Studios had its first online kick-off ceremony, which was broadcast live on YouTube as well. Then, in 2022, the company tried something even more special with a metaverse kick-off ceremony using VR components developed by Dexter Studios for Yumi’s Cells. This year, in celebration of the company’s 11th anniversary, 26 long-serving executives and staff members who celebrated their 5th and 10th years of service at Dexter Studios were rewarded for long-term service, and were chosen for a virtual trip overseas using the company’s virtual production system to receive their award.
One official from Dexter Studios who received the long-term service award in a unique kick-off ceremony in Paris, France, said, “Taking a closer look at our virtual production studio, and receiving my long-term service award with a backdrop that made me feel like I was really somewhere overseas was a special experience.” He added, “I think all of us at Dexter Studios who had worked harder than anyone over the past year will never forget about this year’s kick-off ceremony.”
The company also hosted a quiz with contestants calling into the ceremony in real time for a chance to win a tablet. The video of the kick-off ceremony was streamed in real-time on Dexter Studios’ official YouTube channel. Executives and staff at the company’s subsidiaries watched the ceremony and posted positive comments about the ceremony and award winners.
Lee Dong-joon, Head of the VP Headquarters, which oversees the virtual production business, said, “Dexter VP Headquarters is carrying out various projects centered on LED studios and real-time engines. I feel particularly proud to be able to directly share the VP experience with other executives and employees across our company at this year’s kick-off ceremony.” Lee added, “We are planning and preparing a wide variety of content using VP technology this year as well. Our goal is to further develop the VP pipeline and take on new challenges.”
Kim Wook and Kang Jong-ik, CEOs of Dexter Studios said, “Thanks to all of our executives and staff, we were able to finish last year with great success, and I sincerely hope we can work together to produce some great results this year as well.” They closed the ceremony saying, “This year’s kick-off ceremony was more meaningful and entertaining than ever thanks to the work done by VP Headquarters and various other departments that helped prepare such a unique kick-off ceremony. We’d like to thank our staff for their hard work.”
Meanwhile, D1, where the kick-off ceremony was hosted, is a high-tech studio that creates a virtual environment by projecting a real-time 3D background on a large LED wall to make it look like a real place. Since it is not bound by conventional time and space constraints, D1 can render places in Korea, places overseas, or a virtual world in greater detail, which is a large reason why it has been attracting attention from countless producers. D1 recently finished filming director Kim Yong-hwa’s new film, The Moon, and a number of new contents, including commercials for Korean companies, are expected to come down the pipeline.
