Stagecraft: a Portal for Filmmaking
- Admin
- Dec 2, 2019
- 2 min read
Dec. 2, 2019
“Stagecraft” technology, developed by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), allows imagery to be projected onto ultra-high resolution screens that wrap around the sets, enveloping actors in alien locations without having to rely on green screens.
Costing $15 million an episode, the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” from the Disney+ streaming service presents astonishing shot which are indistinguishable from the films. A contributor to its incredibly rich cinematic look is the use of technique, “Stagecraft.”
Stagecraft is a real-time projection system which can display a 3D visual environment for the filming. Locations can be recorded and digitally manipulated in whatever ways the filmmakers want, and the 3D visual environment projected around the actors can change in real time to match the perspective of the camera. When the camera moves, the background moves too. Stagecraft is essentially like a portal which allows both filmmakers and viewers to travel through different space and time.
Compared to the green-screen technology, Stagecraft has several advantages for a more efficient film production. There is no need to send an entire production team to various locations for filming. Instead, the tasks of capturing environment footages can be simply done by the camera crew. Apart from the shortened filming process, the use of Stagecraft can draw better performances from the actors, for they no longer have to imagine the environment they are in, as they do when filming in front of green-screen. They can instantly be transported to any location, real or made-up, and feel as though they are there.
Despite the obvious improvement over green-screen, it’s still unclear if the technology will lead to a better product for viewers. The technique is not yet at a point where it can match the visual splendor and immediacy of traditional filming. However, it is a revolutionary technique which can change the way filmmakers plan and execute complicated shoots in the future.
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