Forge Virtual Studios

Forge Virtual Studios is a purpose-built virtual production facility at 1555 Hunter Road in Hanover Park, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs about 10 miles from O’Hare and 20 miles from downtown Chicago. It has two LED volume stages for commercial, branded, television and narrative work, and according to Forge, studio rentals always include the LED walls along with a virtual production operator. Its sister company is the production company Charter.

LED stages

• Studio A: an 82 x 16 ft J-shaped LED wall with an edge-to-edge LED ceiling, 1.9mm pixel pitch and a 10 x 10 ft LED wild wall, running Unreal Engine with Stype RedSpy camera tracking and motorized, pre-rigged lighting. Forge says the 1.9mm pitch lets cameras work roughly 2.5 to 6 meters from the wall.
• Studio B: a 25 x 13 ft LED wall at 2.6mm with Vū Studio integration and a 40-inch touch tablet for loading 2D plates and adjusting looks, plus pre-rigged lighting that syncs to the wall.

Crew and services

An in-house virtual production supervisor helps plan shoots, oversees shoot days and leads LED volume operators, Unreal Engine artists and camera tracking specialists as needed. Forge also offers virtual art services, a 2D plate library, and in-house camera, lighting and grip rentals.

Amenities

• Production offices, conference rooms and “Brain Deck” containers with a lounge and skybox, a Zoom-ready conference room, kitchenette and tech container.
• Green rooms with hair and makeup areas, VIP lounges, a catering kitchen and cafeteria.
• Drive-in doors, truck docks and dedicated crew and client parking.

The studio also hosts events, brand previews and workshops, and offers in-person tours before booking.