disguise powers Hibino’s new industry-leading virtual production studio in Japan

Hibino Group, one of Japan’s biggest AV suppliers, has launched a world-class virtual production studio that is powered by disguise xR and features the top-of-the-range disguise vx 4 and rx II media servers.

Built opposite the iconic Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo, Hibino’s use of high-end disguise technology enables the studio to offer next-generation in-camera visual effects productions to clients in a wide range of markets, from film and TV production to music videos, advertising and corporate events.

An open house was held for the new Hibino VFX Studio at the beginning of June, offering producers and directors to see first-hand the opportunity it offers their productions. In a time when location-based filming is increasingly expensive or logistically difficult, virtual production offers a simple and effective solution.

Junichi Imokawa (Imo), Director and Managing Executive Officer for Hibino, says: “Since we began working with disguise ten years ago, we have built a very strong bond and have used each of our expertise to push each other past what we believed feasible. We’ve made the impossible possible.”

“disguise has become our go-to supplier because it has a very impressive portfolio of video rental partners which would rival the best companies in the world. The amazing projects that disguise has helped realise always inspires us and motivates us to keep striving for perfection. With disguise in our corner, it gives us the ability to maintain our position in Japan among the heavyweights.”

As productions get bigger, so do the screens and the resolution demands. disguise’s vx 4 offers 4K outputs that are capable of playing up to four times uncompressed 4K60 with lossless 10-bit video, ensuring Hibino can more than match up to these demands.
The future of virtual production
Spurred on by the incredible virtual production advancements being made in TV shows like Disney’s The Mandalorian, Hibino has worked hard to understand the intricacies and challenges the field presents in order to build and provide their clients with a user-friendly studio environment offering the very best technology on the market.

Hibino is the first company to secure state of the art ROE Ruby 1.5F LED screens for all sides of the studio. Paired with a further ROE CB5 screen on the ceiling, the studio provides a truly immersive setting for any production.

Supporting this top-of-the-range set up with disguise machines was a “no-brainer”, says Imo. The studio is powered by three rx II machines, with two dedicated solely to content rendering and a third providing connectivity with Unreal Engine via disguise’s multi-user editor. In unison with a vx 4 unit, Hibino has built a powerful studio that will be the best possible environment for the most demanding of productions.

“Hibino VFX Studio is a platform where people in the industry can get a taste of in-camera VFX,” says Imo. “Although there is a massive number of studios in Japan, purpose-built in-camera VFX studios are few and far between. On top of that, the cost of bringing LED screens and systems into studios on a project-by-project basis is too high. I saw a gap in the market. Our vision is to help make these spaces more accessible and commonplace within the industry. We’d like to distribute our elaborate LED and systems to as many studios as possible across Japan.”

SCROLL POSTS

A Few Kind Words...

Kapil Gadhire, Head of Marketing, Magnifi

From the word go, team Bubble was super detailed, efficient, and exhaustive in their approach. They are true partners and make an effort to understand the ideology and end goal to plan the perfect media pitch and strategy.

Lauren Myers, Director, Integrated Marketing – Ross Video

Working with Bubble during and after IBC 2022 for PR and press support was exceptional. Their professional approach, strategic communication, and extensive media network generated significant exposure for our brand. Bubble's on-site support was outstanding, ensuring our story was accurately told to a global audience. Their post-IBC efforts further amplified our reach and provided valuable analytics. An experienced, professional team and a total joy to work with.

Andrew McKinlay, Marketing Director, Avolites

All amazing, just grateful I know I can rely on Bubble to get the job done brilliantly.

Tanya Rai, Marketing and Communications Manager, Pebble

Team Bubble are an extension of our own team. They are wonderful to work with, reliable, get the job done and gain great exposure for our business in key publications.

Mike Ward, Head of Marketing, Singular.live

Since we first started working with them, our team at Bubble have acted very much like an extension of our team. They work with us to try and help us achieve our goals and we very much feel that they have our interests at heart as well as having our backs when we need it!

Gavin Bunker, AE Live

Bubble were fantastic throughout the whole process and helped us deliver a successful event to celebrate our 30th corporate anniversary with industry peers.

Robert Cloudt, Synchronized

Bubble has been tremendously helpful to bring our marketing communication to the next level, very responsive and thinking with us together on the rightful messaging and timing across different media’s. Definitely a recommendation in case you need a well balanced media agency to help you out.

Carla Molina Whyte, Farmerswife

Working with Bubble Agency for a tradeshow has been truly amazing. The bubble team is incredibly helpful and talented. We are very happy with the results and with all the coverage we got prior and during the tradeshow!

Silvia Candido, Ateme

As usual, we were super busy before and during a tradeshow this year. What a luxury to have Bubble take care of our media relations and our social media accounts! We saw a surge of followers on LinkedIn and got good coverage in a number of publications.

Meg Travis, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, Director, Global Head of Marketing & Communications, Entertainment Services

The Bubble team made everything easy at MPTS! From advising before the show, to facilitating client and press conversations during the show, to making recommendations on how to make the most of the connections we made there - we rely on Bubble as a key strategic partner for our sales and marketing teams.