The Mandalorian, arguably the hottest show presently in circulation, continues to utilize VR technology to simplify and enhance the filming process. This time, the production team makes use of cutting-edge immersive technology to scout for filming locations.
Using VR
The Mandalorian, the popular television series based on the iconic Star Wars franchise, has recently announced its third season to go on air soon. The production team, keeping up with their previous efforts, has been making some interesting use of immersive technology to simply as well as spice up the filming process in this current edition as well. In their prior editions, the creators of the show used VR technology to add special effects to the production to make the scenes look more fascinating. But this time around, they have gone a step ahead and have done something that no other TV or film production has ventured to do so far.
According to reports, The Mandalorian team will harness VR technology to look for real-world filming locations, which they will recreate in their VFX studio afterwards. Once the location is selected, the immersive technology lets the creators tweak the virtual set in more ways than one can imagine. It will allow them to rotate the scene for a full 360-degree, mirror reflect the visual, add elements like rock and lightning, and even set the sun’s position to hold the “magic hour”—the time just before sunrise and right after sunset—for as long as it is needed.
Perfect locations
Baz Idoine, the Director of Photography for The Mandalorian, described how VR technology helped the team to find put perfect locations to shoot the incredible sequences of the TV series. The locations, as per his words, served key roles in the storytelling and elevated the overall look of the production to quite a few notches. Idoine also added that they were inspired by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in making the designscape of the production. He stated that his team spent a substantial amount of time designing the set, which was then followed by long hours of moving props and set around so that he could get the lighting perfect. Thus, they achieved designing the environment essential to make the end product look compelling.
VR scouting
Idoine also added that without immersive technology, this kind of perfection in designing the sets for The Mandalorian wouldn’t have been possible. In the last instalment of The Mandalorian, he added, the last episode titled “The Jedi” was also made possible thanks to VR scouting. This time, the stakes were a bit higher, as they filmed the whole thing with the assistance of VR technology.
Unlike shooting with a green screen, where actors and technicians cannot visualize the real environment, VR scouting helps create the real feel of the environment. The performers can actually see the location that they will be performing in and as a result, they are immersed in the environment. The result will always be more stunning, as one would expect, and yield a more convincing feel.
