Check out the new high-tech content lab cum event space at Famous Studio, Mahalaxmi

The lab also offers technical solutions such as robotic arms that ensure cleaner shots during brand shoots

Imagine you’re eating in Mumbai, but it’s snowing all around you. This is one of the many ideas that can be implemented at Pixelab by Warehouse 47. One of Mumbai’s oldest studios has decided to zoom into the future. However, their time-traveling machine is a high-tech content lab and event space.

Sitting on the first floor of Worlis Famous Studio, an art deco staircase leads to a large black door. On the other side is a room lit with strobe lights, and another staircase lit with lasers leads us to Xylo, a friendly alien who explains what Warehouse 47’s newly opened Pixelab is all about. Xylo is an AI that tells space jokes, but also explains what projection mapping is and what services Pixelab offers, among other things.

The lab’s entrance is a portal to the future, with strobe lights and motion detectors anticipating your every move. This is one of the many tech services the company plans to offer for live events. As you walk further into the room, LED walls pulse, transforming the environment into a canvas of light and color. And through 3D projection mapping, we’re transported to alternate realities. But who is all this for? “Let’s say there’s an independent creator working alone. With our technology, we can help them take their storytelling to the next level. We also want to offer brands turnkey solutions – recording, studio space, production and execution.
“We can do it all completely in-house,” says Anant Roongta, partner at Warehouse 47 and managing director at Famous Studio. Roongta explains that Pixelab is not just a venue. It is a high-tech content lab, a co-working space and even has a small cinema for private screenings.

The possibilities are endless here. Pixelab offers a symphony of interactive experiences. Other features include thread laser light pods and motion-sensing LED games, generative AI capabilities, AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality) and XR (extended reality) technologies. This will make Warehouse 47 a creative cultural hub under Famous Studios. The studio has partnered with Green Rain Studios, which has helped introduce the technology for immersive experiences. Roongta says, “We can offer all our service vehicles across India. But we are also thinking of launching curated IPs, which will be ticketed events. You can use all this technology to create a unique experience. For example, it could be a pop-up speakeasy with projection mapping or a pop-up nightclub. Our main advantage is that we have a space, which is hard to come by in Mumbai.”

Since the studio already has visual effects artists, motion control experts, sound engineers and colorists, the idea is to collaborate with creatives as well. Building on Famous Studios’ legacy, Pixelab hopes to “hatch or fund ideas at some point,” says Roongta, as they already work with several creatives. For visitors, Pixelab hopes to soon curate interesting experiences. And they’ll be peppered with technology that allows you to find yourself in the midst of alternate realities or simply indulge in LED gaming.