How Virtual Production is Helping to Cut Costs and Reduce Carbon Footprint

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorOver the past two years, the pandemic has transformed the entertainment industry, forcing studios to rethink the way productions are planned.

Smaller crews, budget constraints and COVID restrictions propelled virtual production to the forefront of the industry, allowing a crew to go back in time or into the future and travel anywhere on a project without ever leaving the studio.

Virtual sets that replace traditional green screens can use 2D playback of photographic footage on LED walls, or 3D tracking that moves with the camera so the image changes like it would on a real set.For instance, ILM’s cutting-edge StageCraft LED wall technology, which surrounds the actors with realistic scenes, was used for roughly half the scenes in “ The Mandalorian.” Disney also brought a StageCraft array with 700 LED panels to its new Infinity virtual production stage in Burbank, allowing Hilary Duff to stroll across a virtual Brooklyn Bridge in “How I Met Your Father.” Not only are productions saving a significant amount of money, they are also reducing their carbon footprint.

And it’s not only Disney and Marvel that benefit from virtual productions — the expansion has paved the way for independent features and smaller TV shows.Virtual production producer Susan Zwerman, whose credits include for Exceptional Minds, “Black Panther” and “Black Widow,” is a former visual effects executive producer who moved into the virtual arena.