Felix & Paul Studios has released the third episode of its new behind-the-scenes series Inside Felix & Paul Studios on YouTube and Meta Quest, and it’s all about building custom VR cameras to capture the present and future of space exploration.

The immersive entertainment studio that brought you a tour of the White House with the Obamas in The People’s House and the Emmy-winning series Space Explorers opens the doors to its creative and technological labs for the very first time. It’s a master class for anyone interested in immersive filmmaking techniques.

Inside Felix & Paul Studios Episode 3 Is Now Streaming on YouTube and Meta Quest

The first two episodes of the series, released last week, heard directly from co-founders Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël, who explained their inspiration for delving into VR filmmaking and deep dived into how the Studio live streamed the Artemis 1 launch in 8 K resolution — the first live-stream of its kind. 

From their inception 10 years ago, the need to navigate uncharted storytelling territories encouraged Felix & Paul Studios to create, from hardware to firmware. tools that didn’t exist. For example, for the first-ever cinematic VR film Strangers With Patrick Watson, they built their own VR camera since none previously existed.

The third episode, Episode 3: Crafting Custom VR Cameras delves into the secret history of generations of cameras, each specifically crafted or customized to redefine virtual reality filmmaking. For the first time ever, the Studio’s camera experts give audiences a look inside their secret “Cam Shop” where every custom camera has been designed and adapted. 

Raphaël also demystifies the intricacies between panoramic and stereoscopic filmography, tracing back the lineage of the studio’s camera designs.

Audiences get to tag along with the Studio’s camera wizards as they conduct a series of underwater camera tests at the Olympic Pool of Montreal in preparation for an upcoming shoot at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab. Viewers also get a chance to learn about the challenges of filming in the vacuum of space. 

Also Read: Inside Felix & Paul Studios Series Celebrates Immersive Entertainment Studio’s 10th Anniversary

The third episode explains how the Studio heavily adapted commercially available “Z-Cam” virtual reality cameras in order to use them to shoot inside and outside of the International Space Station. It also offers a look inside the Studio’s ambition to craft a camera that can one day film humanity’s return to the Moon.

The series is presented by Canon and shot using Canon’s RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens and the EOS R5 C camera.

Inside Felix and Paul Studios was written, directed and edited by Karina Bertin and Ashley Duong. It was produced by Katarina Soukup and executive produced by Stéphane Rituit. Martin Gros and Daniele Tomelleri were the directors of photography, with original music by Jean-Olivier Bégin. Lajeunesse and Raphaël serve as creative producers.

Main Image: A still from Inside Felix & Paul Studios courtesy of Felix & Paul Studios.