POST- PRODUCTION | V I RTUAL PRODUCT ION
DEATH OF THE GREEN SCREEN? We examine the pros and cons of this bleeding-edge technology
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY / P I CTURES EBAN BOLTER
V irtual production has become a bit of a buzzword for various computer- aided production and visualisation filmmaking methods. But in its purest form, virtual production is an image that is created with real-time rendering engines and projected on to a live LED screen behind a physical set. Think of it like the Holodeck from Star Trek : within seconds, your actors and props can be transported into a whole new universe, just by using high-resolution LED screens instead of green or blue screens. It’s a technique that has become synonymous with Disney’s The Mandalorian , which shot the majority – but not all – of its scenes in an immersive and massive 270° horseshoe LED wall and ceiling display. With a high-profile project such as this employing virtual production techniques, it’s no surprise to us that industry experts are heralding it as the death of the green screen. If we’ve remembered correctly, it was the Star Wars prequels, shot between 1997 and 2003, that leaned heavily on the process An experiment of sorts, designed to show what a virtual production could offer over the use of green screen
known as ‘chromakeying’, where actors are filmed against green screens and CGI backgrounds are added in afterwards. Now, green screens are everywhere – even in the unexpected, on drama productions like The Crown (page 4). So, we wonder, has the Star Wars franchise accelerated another VFX technique – and if so, is it at the stage where it can replace green screen? Before we get into this, it’s important to first explain exactly how virtual production technology works. Everything is live tracked, which means the perspective and lighting projected on to the LED screen shifts in relation to the camera’s movement. But the camera is only responsible for what it sees through its lens, so the surrounding image remains dormant. Cinematographer Eben Bolter, who recently got hands-on with the technology, explains in the simplest terms. “Only the section of the screen that the camera is looking at is alive and in 3D, everything else is static, dead even.” He continues to explain that this is achieved by attaching witness cameras to the main camera. “When the camera moves, the witness cameras tell the computer which part of the screen the camera is looking at. The computer then displays the 3D imagery accurately in the camera frame. It really is impressive how quick it is, especially when you think about how complicated it is.” LIGHTING FLEXIBILITY Bolter, who is the DOP behind Avenue 5 , used the technology to shoot Percival , produced by Rebellion Studios. Percival is
about a knight of the Round Table, who’s battle-scarred and close to death in a moonlit forest. Suddenly, time speeds up and some unknown force aids his recovery, transporting him to the ruins of a church, where he receives a vision that inspires a new quest. Although it’s only five minutes in length, Rebellion is claiming Percival as the world’s first “all virtual” production, with all the action playing out entirely in front of a halo of large, flat-screen displays. Bolter explains the film was “an experiment of sorts, designed to show what a virtual production could offer over the use of green screen”. The first benefit, which is also the least obvious, is how LED screens enable better lighting. Jason Kingsley, who played the knight, wanted to wear his own armour, which Bolter describes as being a red flag straight away. “An armour is like a mirror, so if Kingsley were to wear his in front of a green screen, with all the set lights on him, we would have been battling with green reflections, which are incredibly difficult to remove in post-production.” There’s also more flexibility with lighting controls: Bolter discloses that on Avenue 5 , he used 150 LED lights for one set, each with their own controls. This is great when you compare it to the blue-collar, old-fashioned film lights, but certainly bested when compared to an LED screen, for which you have just one control. Even so, this way of working might not be suited to everyone. “It requires learning a whole new language,” says Bolter. “Because, instead of communicating with your gaffer,
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