In 1995, Federico Pignatelli and his Art and Fashion Group Corporation founded Pier59 Studios located at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Featuring eleven column-free studios and 110,000 square feet of multimedia studio and live event space, Pier59 Studios today is a top destination for famed photographers, filmmakers, designers, brands, and advertising and production companies worldwide.
As the largest photography and multimedia complex for fashion and advertising in the world, Pier59 is equipped with the latest technology to accommodate the needs of the demanding clientele. With its latest venture, Pier59 is embracing the next era of content creation with the launch of an immense, state-of-the-art virtual production stage. The new virtual stage features a Disguise media server and a stunning array of LED display technologies from Planar. The Planar LED solutions include:
A curved, 65-foot-wide by 18-foot-high (40x11) Planar® CarbonLight™ CLI VX-B Series LED video wall with a 2.6mm pixel pitch (CLI VX 2.6).
A nearly 30-foot by 10-foot articulating LED ceiling comprised of an 18x6 Planar® CarbonLight™ CLI VX-B Series LED video wall with a 2.6mm pixel pitch (CLI VX 2.6).
Four LED display moveable carts, each with a 5-foot-wide by 11.5-foot-high Planar CarbonLight CLI VX-B Series LED video wall with a 2.6mm pixel pitch (CLI VX 2.6).
Massive Virtual Production Stage at Pier59 Studios Features Flexible LED Video Walls from Planar “Federico Pignatelli has always embraced technology and its capacity to change the way content is captured,” said Steve Baum, Chief Innovation Officer for Pier59. “So, when he became aware of the concept of virtual production, he immediately recognized the opportunity to build a full-sized virtual stage at Pier59.”
Ultimate Creative Flexibility
Located in Stage C, a 6,500-square-foot space with 30-foot-plus ceilings, the new virtual production stage has been hailed as the world’s biggest and most advanced for fashion and advertising. Dubbed the “LED MegaWall,” the impressive virtual production stage is a studio for rent that provides fashion, beauty and luxury partners with a captivating backdrop for their photo and video productions, product launches, events and more. As part of its services, Pier59 provides its virtual production team as an extension to its client’s crew to operate the technology on their behalf.
“The LED video walls look great with the naked eye, but what’s most important for us is that they look great incamera,” said Lorenzo Ferrante, virtual production manager at Pier59 Studios. “Production professionals like DPs [directors of photography] that use our stage have the guarantee that any color profile they want can be accomplished and that the representation of color is accurate. And obviously, virtual production provides the advantage of in-camera visual effects, which cuts the time and costs for post-production.”
Baum said, “By combining 3D virtual environments with the flexibility of the virtual production stage, we can conjure nearly any place, at any time of day during any season, precisely controlling the environmental conditions. We can even adjust them on the fly to get the perfect shot. And then, of course, the virtual stage can deliver cost savings by eliminating the time and cost of traveling with cast and crew to far-flung locations.”
Working with Planar, Pier59 achieved its goal of building a large and immersive LED video wall and articulating LED ceiling, creating the largest LED volume that could fit in Studio C, according to Baum. He also emphasized the role of the four LED movable carts in their virtual production operations, which are “one of the more interesting and unique design components of the project,” Baum said. “They have very specific purposes. One is to create foreground lighting and reflection. So, if we have something shiny in a shot, like a car, we can move those walls behind the camera facing into the shot to generate reflections on the car, which would otherwise be extremely difficult to add in post-production.”
A second benefit is the ability to move the LED display carts to any of Pier59’s other stages for smaller production shoots. “Significant engineering went into those products,” Baum said. “We can not only move them, but we can also daisy chain them together. It was quite ingenious what Planar was able to build for us.”
Pier59 Studios Founder and President Federico Pignatelli said, “As a disruptive technology, virtual production is comparable to the digital photography revolution of the late 90s. By delivering significant cost savings and incomparable creative flexibility and quality control, virtual production is going to radically change the way fashion and advertising content is produced.”
Modernizing Pier59’s Lobby Venue
Pier59 also integrated three Planar® TVF Series LED video walls in a two-story lobby and café space located directly adjacent to Stage C. The new additions include a 6-foot-wide, 8-foot-high (3x7) installation with a 1.2mm pixel pitch as well as two nearly 12-foot-wide and 8-foot-high (6x6) arrays, one with a 1.2mm pixel pitch and the other with a 1.8mm pixel pitch.
“It’s an incredible open space with a beautiful deck and the video walls create a visual enhancement,” Baum said. “On most days we run promotional content or client work examples on the video walls, but we also have a fairly robust event business at Pier59 and now with the addition of the video walls, we are seeing a lot of interest in utilizing them as a presentation element for keynotes, screenings and other use cases. People are also interested in using the lobby space for brand takeovers with their events. It’s another great addition for us.”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
