Asharq – DQ studio, Riyadh

Stand at the centre of Asharq’s DQ studio and the picture carries on all the way round. A curved LED wall runs almost the full circumference of the floor, broken only by slim vertical bands, so a camera pointed in nearly any direction finds a background rather than a studio wall.

Designing for the reverse shot

Most news sets are designed to be seen from the front. This one had to carry news, talk and branded content, which means presenters standing, sitting and turning, and cameras following them. Wrapping the screen around the room lets the director cut to a reverse or a wide angle without finding the edge of the set. The gloss floor picks up the wall and the coloured light and adds depth to every frame.

The base of the set is neutral white and takes its colour from the lighting rather than from paint. Columns are wrapped in a banded finish and ringed with LED at their bases, circular ceiling coffers carry integrated light, and a faceted acrylic screen in the foreground catches the rig and breaks up the close shots. Re-theming the studio becomes a change of light and content, not of scenery.

From mood board to on air

VIPRO’s scope covered the architectural concept, visual identity and studio layout, taken through high-fidelity 3D renders and mood boards to bring stakeholders to one direction before construction. The photographs show the finished studio and its production gallery, with the vision mixer and the multiviewer wall that drive it.