The Mandalorian has made waves among long time Star Wars fans and new viewers alike ever since its premiere. For some, its popularity comes from the stories it tells. For others, it is absolutely because of their love of Baby Yoda. But one aspect that captured the attention of many in the industry was Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) groundbreaking virtual set technology known as "Stagecraft." Now, it looks like Sony may be helping bring that tech to the mainstream.
Sony has just unveiled a new line of LED display systems which, among other applications, can be used in creating virtual sets similar to those seen on The Mandalorian. While not necessarily the exact same setup as the one pioneered by ILM, Sony's new product is the first major attempt to give that tech a chance at widespread use. Since the famous visual effects studio created the method of filming, it's only natural that it wouldn't necessarily be all that accessible to others just yet.
Though that's not to say it hasn't already been enjoying a small surge in popularity. Upcoming films like Thor: Love and Thunder and Matt Reeves' often-delayed The Batman have already made use of the tech, as well as George Clooney's 2020 film The Midnight Sky. So even though the rather proprietary nature of Stagecraft hasn't entirely held various productions back from taking advantage of it, Sony's new line aims to help streamline things for those who may not have been in the position to wrangle it just yet. With ILM also building 3 more Stagecraft stages around the world and apparently willing to lend the tech to any production that needs it, mainstream usage may come sooner than later.
Like the displays used in The Mandalorian and now its spinoffs as well, the new system benefits from impressively realistic brightness settings and lots of anti-reflection coating. The idea behind Stagecraft is that filming sets can be largely created virtually, displaying them on giant screens surrounding the actors which, when filmed correctly, give the illusion that they're actually in that location. Unlike green screens, which are still enjoying mainstream use in virtually every production, Stagecraft displays the CGI backgrounds in real time, rather than leaving them to be digitally inserted during post-production.
It's almost poetic how this tech has come along. After all, the practice of filming in front of a giant video display was probably the most popular method of filming before green screen came along. Of course, back then, it often had a rather rough look due to the comparatively crude nature of the practice compared to its contemporary counterparts. But still, the idea was there. All they needed was for the technology to catch up with the idea. Many productions are sure to be excited to have easy access to this fascinating new world of filmmaking.
Of course, there's something to say for the classic practice of simply filming on location or using physical sets like the previously mentioned The Batman. Even for as unwieldy as it is when compared to green screen or Stagecraft, many will likely still choose to stick by it for its sense of realism. Whether or not Stagecraft will replace on-location shoots has yet to be seen, but there are sure to be some interesting comparisons between the two methods someday down the line.
The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Source: Quartz