Dexter Studios (CEOs: Kim Wook and Kang Jong-ik; hereafter “Dexter Studios”), which specializes in film and serial production and visual effects (VFX), signed a strategic business agreement with EmTek Inc (CEO: Lee Deok-soo; hereinafter “EmTek”), the no. 1 Korean graphics card brand (based on domestic PC graphics card market share), on July 8.
The signing ceremony was held at the D1 Virtual Studio at Paju Book City. This new agreement will help revitalize Dexter Studios’ virtual productions for LED walls and develop new related technology. With the market recognizing the technical utility of virtual studios both economically and aesthetically, Dexter Studios’ main focus is to secure technology optimized to flexibly cope with conditions pertaining to various content productions.
Dexter Studios’ new virtual production studio D1 projects a 3D background in real-time on the large LED wall, then simultaneously shoots the actors and the background using an In-Camera system, which minimizes the incidental cost and time that goes into post-production work. The technology of filming a real environment and converting it into a background is attracting attention from filmmakers as it can secure a filming locale that is not affected by time, space, and weather constraints.
EmTek develops and produces a comprehensive suite of corporate servers that require high-performance graphics devices under its own brand, “Redbit.” The company is a pioneer in expanding technical collaborations needed in the Korean smart IT industry, such as supplying servers with leading animation or software companies in Korea and building cooperative R&D alliances.
With this latest agreement, the two companies will focus on building a completely new virtual production system. In particular, Dexter Studios plans to develop optimized hardware, system designs, and installation solutions for not only its D1 studio, but also additional virtual production studios it expects to build going forward, and promote design and construction projects using domestic and foreign technology networks.
Moreover, Dexter Studios will carry out R&D specifically for virtual production studios. Joint development of system maintenance and performance solutions, research on hardware optimization for new technology R&D and studio operations, development and provision of solutions optimized for domestic and foreign virtual production environments are some examples of potential R&D projects the company is hoping to engage in.
As for EmTek Inc, the company has already delivered more than 200 Redbit servers with the best graphics card performance and stability to Dexter Studios as part of the agreement, and it has been promoting mutual development through technology and R&D cooperation required for the D1 studio, which is expected to open new doors for the company.
Dexter Studios’ CEOs Kim Wook and Kang Jong-ik said, “With our MOU with EmTek Inc., we are confident we have found a partner who can work with us together to speed up the distribution of video production systems for virtual productions.” They added, “We hope we can maximize the synergy created between the two companies, and to this end, we promise to spare no effort in sharing core technologies and know-how.”
EmTek Inc. CEO Lee Deok-soo said, “Using this MOU, we will continue to develop Redbit servers optimized for the needs of the visual special effects and content production market by strengthening our professional capabilities in server-related technologies.” Lee added, “And with our business alliances, we will strengthen our competitiveness in R&D and extend technical support for Dexter Studios.”
Meanwhile, Dexter Studios has recently successfully completed its production of director Kim Yong-hwa’s new film, “The Moon,” and is currently reviewing and preparing new projects, including films, serials, OTT content, and advertisements. EM-Tech plans to develop and introduce Redbit Server’s own cooling system capable of alleviating throttling symptoms that occur when the CPU or GPU overheats due to long-term use of high-performance high-end server systems in the second half of the year.
