While the Star Wars films are known for flying into remote and beautiful locations to get the perfect shot, TV show The Mandalorian pioneered a brand-new type of filmmaking by shooting mostly in a studio against LED screens. Now, according to ILM’s chief creative officer Rob Bredow, The Batman will be using some of the same techniques for key scenes, THR reports.
As you may know if you’ve watched Disney’s behind-the-scenes series about the making of the Mandalorian, the show was mostly shot against a giant screen called “The Volume,” which runs on Epic’s Unreal Engine. The technique has been called virtual production, and the success of The Mandalorian has led to ILM creating a new production unit called StageCraft dedicated to virtual production.
Speaking at the VIEW visual effects and animation conference, ILM’s Rob Bredow revealed that The Batman has used these techniques for some scenes. The upcoming DC film, which is being filmed in London, won’t be using the Manhattan Beach Studios where The Mandalorian was filmed. Instead, Bredow explained, the team built an LED wall around a physical set that had already been constructed in the UK.
The same technology will also be used for Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, with a StageCraft set being built at Fox Studios Australia for the production.
The Batman was most recently delayed after a production halt caused by its star Robert Pattinson contracting COVID-19. The movie is now due to release on March 4, 2022.
The Mandalorian Season 2 was fortunately filmed before the pandemic shut the global film industry down, and the first episode will release on Disney+ on October 30. The series has also been renewed for a third season.