Red Pepper Pictures (Pty

Red Pepper Pictures has the only virtual studio in the country, producing some stunning stuff in its day. But the popularity for virtual sets has sadly waned and the system is lying dormant, says Marius Maritz, head of facilities. "But good news is we are looking at an upgrade, as there are new developments on the international scene," he says. The advantage of a virtual studio is that all set costs are eliminated and replaced by keyed backgrounds that create the (very successful) illusion of three-dimensional space. That aside, Red Pepper has recently expanded with three additional studios which include the 320-square-metres Studio 2. "We also have permanent long-running live shows like Powerball and our Melville studio on the corner of 7th and 4th Streets is 240 square metres, with great height," says Maritz. "We were shooting Jam Alley there until we moved it and we're looking to upgrade it next year. The company is the also longtime producer of the ETV kids' brand Craze-e.