Dundee’s new CoSTAR Realtime Lab offers new initiative for aspiring film makers

By John Freeman on April 17, 2025

Are you a Scottish film production student, or someone early in your film making career? Dundee’s Abertay University has a funded opportunity for you to enhance your skills.

*Abertay University’s CoSTAR Realtime Lab*

The university launched the CoSTAR Realtime Lab, a new £9 million virtual production studio at Water’s Edge, Dundee in February, marking the start of operations for a major infrastructure project that will provide a significant boost to Scotland’s screen industries. The aim is to drive research, innovation and economic growth in Scotland’s screen, games, immersive and performance industries.

One of its first initiatives is to call for film production students and those early in their film making career (no more than two years), who are based in Scotland, to take part in a funded Film Academy and experience what this new infrastructure has to offer.

As part of the £75.6m grant awarded by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the CoSTAR Realtime Lab is led by Abertay University and in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, CodeBase, Interface and Chroma Developments.

• Apply before 30th April 2025. Find out more here at bigreal.abertay.ac.uk

Do note that the Academy is open to current Scotland-residing graduates, current Master students or film makers early in their career

With thanks to Phillip Vaughan

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.