LED walls have been the hot topic in virtual production since the release of The Mandalorian in the fall of 2019. It seems as though every time you get on a Zoom call, without fail, LED walls are brought up. People are more curious about how they fit into their VP workflow now, more than ever.

While The Mandalorian wasn’t the first project to utilize LED walls, they were the first ones to execute at the level in which they did. What they produced is unmatched by any virtual production thus far- shattering the glass-ceiling in the industry and proving that game engine technology is capable of producing movie quality work. Now studios and filmmakers are charging full speed ahead to figure out how they can replicate The Mandalorian stage, as well as its success for their projects.

While there are several game-changing components that go into virtual production, like game engine technology and an entirely new workflow, one of the biggest additions to the set is the use of LED walls. Here are the top four reasons why using LED walls is more realistic and why you should invest in them on your next project.

LED WALLS CREATE A MORE REALISTIC ATMOSPHERE FOR ACTORS

Green screens are quickly becoming a tool of the past and we haven’t heard any actors complaining about it. The LED walls allow actors to interact with environments that look and feel real. The realism allows for a level of certainty that you previously couldn’t attain. The addition of real-time, in-camera VFX allows everyone to see the scene unfold as it is being filmed.

ALLOWS FOR REMOTE WORK & MINIMIZES TRAVEL AND EXPOSURE

If the last six months have taught us anything, it is that an industry shutdown is possible and can happen again at any time. Workflows have been forced into remote offices without any preparation. Fortunately, the world of virtual production has made this transition easier for some.

Aside from remote workflows, LED walls have allowed productions to go from on-location shoots to virtual location shoots. Digitally rendered landscapes or cities are keeping people in their homes or on smaller, COVID-19 friendly sets. Instead of flying a cast and crew to the pyramids of Egypt to film a movie, the pyramids are being built in a game engine, and rendered onto the LED walls, making it hard to tell where the set ends and the walls begin.

ASSETS FROM PRE-PRODUCTION MAKE IT TO FINAL PIXEL

With the use of game engine technology, like Unreal Engine by Epic Games for example, assets that are being created in pre-production and rendered onto the LED walls during production, are now holding their integrity and making it through to final pixel, saving both time and money on a shoot.

THE POWER GOES BACK INTO THE HANDS OF THE KEY CREATIVES

In our opinion, the biggest advantage of an LED wall stage is the amount of control that each member of the production team has within their scope of the project. Because everything is being done in real-time, it makes changes in real-time possible, as well. Now, when a director is filming, they can choose to move a tree, building or change the time of day in minutes. Technology is no longer hindering the execution of an award-winning script. Thanks to VP and the integration of LED walls, gone are the days of sending off the VFX team in post-production and praying they bring your complete vision to life.

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