Cutting Edges Kick-off in Turku – Building Common Ground for Virtual Production Collaboration

In February 2025, partners of the Cutting Edges: Virtual Production at the Edges of the European Union project gathered in Turku, Finland, for the official kick-off hosted by Turku University of Applied Sciences. The week brought together representatives from film schools and industry partners across Europe to launch the three-year Erasmus+ initiative focused on developing virtual production education.

Meeting face-to-face at the start of the project proved to be an important step. It allowed the consortium to build a shared understanding of the project’s direction, clarify roles, and begin shaping the structure of upcoming workshops and development phases. As one participant noted, “It was great to spend time with both familiar and new colleagues and to begin forming a coherent vision for how we work together.”

One of the highlights of the week was a visit to Angel Films’ virtual production studio, where participants had the opportunity to experience cutting-edge tools and workflows in action. The visit sparked insightful conversations around how similar studio environments could be integrated into education and training across partner institutions.

Over the next three years, the project will explore and model non-linear workflows in virtual production – from concept development and scripting to filming and post-production. This process will support the creation of a pedagogical framework and training model for film schools operating in different European contexts.

The kick-off also helped establish trust and connection among partners from Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Ireland), Universidade Lusófona (Portugal), Lodz Film School (Poland), University of Malta, Ballyfermot College of Further Education (Ireland), FilmEU and industry collaborators such as Angel Films, Studio 7, FX Roadlights, and NoHo Creative KnowHow.

The discussions in Turku laid the groundwork for collaboration that will continue through a series of workshops, joint research efforts, and practical experimentation with emerging technologies like virtual production and generative AI.

This is just the beginning – and a shared starting point that will help keep the consortium aligned as the work progresses.