Hollywood Reportedly Turning to Video Game Tech in Effort To Get Movie Shoots Back on Schedule
The illusion that is Hollywood is taking on a new dimension as studios embrace virtual reality.
Movies and series will be adapting the work of video game technology companies such as Fortnite creator Epic Games and Pokemon Go’s Unity Technologies, to create virtual sets, according to the New York Post.
So how does it work? Scenes are filmed in front of giant, 4K-resolution LED video screens that can become whatever backdrop is required.
Netflix’s “The Irishman” and Disney’s “The Mandalorian” TV show have already used the technology.
The Post reported that Warner Bros., Paramount, Hulu and CBS are all looking at virtual sets as the wave of the future.
While other aspects of making a movie are on hold, a digital set can be designed — with the director being able to remotely weigh in until the finished product is ready for actors.
“It can get you into production quickly,” said Kim Libreri, chief technology officer at Epic Games, whose “Unreal” technology was used in “The Mandalorian.”
Virtual landscapes can do more than move a project forward during lockdown; they can reduce travel costs, Libreri said.
“The logistics of moving a crew to different locations, it’s just a pretty big deal,” he said.
Creating a virtual set is different from what’s called the “green screen” method, in which actors perform knowing that the backdrop will be added later, according to Habib Zargarpour, head of film development for Digital Monarch Media, a division of Unity Technologies.
“The main advantage is that your shots are for the most part captured in-camera,” Zargarpour said.
Actors can also see the backdrop and react to it.
Philip Galler, co-founder and chief technology officer of Lux Machina, an LED and virtual production solutions provider, said an LED screen can cost anywhere from thousands to millions, depending upon the scale.
“The most expensive is the setup,” said Galler.
Galler noted, though, that as more LED studios emerge, prices could fall — a trend he expects will accelerate due to COVID-19.
Although many entertainment projects have been sidelined due to the impact of COVID-19, “The Mandalorian” is not one of them.
Disney recently announced that even though fans have yet to see the show’s second season, Season Three is already in production, according to Variety.
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