The inaugural Set & Scene show welcomed makers, suppliers and technologists across stage, screen, live events and immersive design last week in Central Saint Martins, London.
800 design and creative professionals came together from the worlds of film, TV and live experiences to share common challenges and opportunities in a single collaborative event.
The day began with a private screening of the new production at Lightroom, just next door to the venue in Kings Cross. David Bowie: You’re Not Alone is created by 59, a Journey Studio, showcasing Bowie's creative force and the impact he’s had on culture today.
David Bowie: You're Not Alone at Lightroom
The experience uses footage across decades of performances and never-before-seen material from the vaults of the David Bowie Archive in New York.
David Bowie: You’re Not Alone
Tom Wexler, head of design at 59, spoke in a session alongside panellists Paul Nicholls, CEO, Factory Fifteen; Ray Winkler, CEO, Stufish; Vincent Woods, head of studios, Troubadour Studios; and moderator Hayley Miller, founder, World VFX Day.
"We wanted to make something in the same spirit of the other shows. To do something that makes you learn about being more human through the eyes of the artist," said Wexler.
In a time when attention spans are short and content can be consumed at any moment on multiple devices, the challenge was to create an experience that could not be replicated at home.
"What can we do with the story in that venue and environment, you can’t do somewhere else. There are over 150 biographies of Bowie, we needed to be different.
"We felt huge responsibility, and the David Bowie Estate was very generous with access to the materials."
The session focused on trends impacting spatial storytelling in immersive experiences. One trend was the debate of novelty vs tried and tested methods for experiences.
"To be unique is helpful as a marketing tool for both client and audience, but ultimately our goal is to create something of value," said Wexler. "What do we want people to feel?"
Immersive Panel at Set & Scene, welcomed by Bimla Jackson (L) and Yosien Burke (R) founders of Set & Scene
Novelty in immersive experiences
Nicholls agreed, but with a more nuanced approach. "Each project is a balance of novelty and formula. There is nothing wrong with re-using successful formulas from the past, both are needed. It's the content that will make it unique, not every project needs to reinvent the wheel."
Factory Fifteen is a leading film and experience design studio, celebrating its 15th birthday this summer. Nicholls won a BAFTA Award for his 2022 Tokyo Olympics Titles and a sports Emmy for Factory Fifteen’s UFC 306 inside Sphere in 2025.
"We all have access to the same technology, we have to then create something unique with those building blocks," said Winkler. “We are at the cusp where the digital and physical start to dissolve."
Winkler’s studio, Stufish, is the entertainment architect behind ABBA Voyage, Han Show Theatre in China, the Pink Floyd Exhibition, and more, working across all corners of the experiential industry.
Image credit: Johan Persson
"In immersive experiences, we are still in the early space of teasing out what is possible. Lots of immersive experiences are good selfie backdrops, but now working out how to use it for storytelling, not just being big bright and loud. There is still lots to learn," said Wexler.
Giants in immersive storytelling
Giant immersive venues like Sphere in Las Vegas are pushing the boundaries of what is possible for experiential design.
"From a technical perspective, the Sphere is at a resolution that is unparalleled. It’s not somewhere you can go daily to check the project’s progress. For our project, we created a digital twin to view our content. In the click of a button, you can choose any seat in the venue and view it how the guest would see it," said Nicholls.
"Does bigger equal better? The answer is yes. There is something almost religious about these large structures, similar to religious buildings, there is an epic sense of awe and seeing your content at that scale was amazing."
Sphere Las Vegas
Another trend was the need for bespoke venues for experiences and events. Troubadour Studios are leaders in creating purpose-built venues, most recently building ABBA Voyage and the theatre for the live-action Hunger Games show in London.
"We are now building from scratch to adapt for experiences. For Hunger Games, we started in Feb last year and finished by October," said Woods. The venue was a real challenge, with many complicated effects and has stands that move seated guests during the performance.
Elstree Immersive Experience
Attendees at Set & Scene heard from Adam Morley, managing director of the Elstree Immersive Experience. The company is tackling this lack of venue trend head-on.
The project is a ‘triple helix’ platform, combining industry, education and government stakeholders. The offering is a physical immersive experience venue, located in Hertfordshire, where the 100-year-old Elstree studios are, home to the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Adam Morely, managing director at Elstree Immersive Experience
The idea was to create a ‘black box’ space on the high street in a 23,000-square-foot abandoned bingo hall. The space will host immersive experiences, and create an exciting attraction for tourists and locals alike, all the while generating revenue for businesses and local Hertfordshire economy.
It will serve as an incubator for creatives in the industry, offering the space for free to test ideas and prove concepts. It will be treated as a third space for residents and locals to simply be, but also offer skills and training.
Commercially viable and accessible to all
The venue is built in this way to be commercially viable. "A commercial venue is empty 9-5 Mon, Fri during term times. There are pressure points on high streets, nothing is open. We need community- education is failing young people with a huge skills gap," said Morely.
The venue and the experiences it holds will be built to be accessible to all: "20% of the population is not able to go to most attractions."
It's also at an affordable price point at £25 a ticket, allowing more visitors to experience the space.
Elstree Immersive is reaching out to creatives and producers in the space, who have an idea for an experience but are seeking a venue, and the support to take the experience to new markets.
"We need you guys. I know how to build the ecosystem but I don’t know how to build an immersive experience," said Morley. "Come to us with your idea, let’s test it, develop it with you, help you monetise it and build world’s around it."
A buzzing exhibition
Set & Scene trade show at Central Martins
Set and Scene’s programme was spread across three dedicated stages, covering broad topics in the industry's craft, from sustainable design to creative careers, AI in design to the circular economy.
In the centre of the venue was the Set & Scene exhibition, where leading companies like City Theatrical, Stylo, Rosco Paints, and many others exhibited.
Exhibitor showing detailed prop and model at Set & SceneKey sponsors for the event included Amazon MGM Studios, Cineco, Greens Team, the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), British Film Designers Guild, and more.
At the end of the conference were networking drinks sponsored by Cineco and Greens Team.
Set & Scene 2027
Set & Scene was founded by Yosien Burke, Bimla Jackson and Murray Ashton, combining decades of experience across the creative industries.
"The strong response to the inaugural edition highlights a clear appetite for cross-sector exchange, with attendees engaging in conversations that bridged disciplines and explored new ways of working across industries,” said Burke and Jackson.
Set & Scene plans to build a year-round programme of activity. To sign up for early access and updates on future events, register here.
