Netflix has an atmospheric nightmare new series. 1899, the production team took full advantage of ARRI’s virtual production solutions to make it happen. literally.
virtual production Collectively and effectively kicked off the first season mandalorianwhich debuted in late 2019, has become a near-industry standard of filming during the pandemic, so much so that ARRI has developed a virtual production stage to produce a new Netflix series. 1899 was taken.
The rise of virtual production
Virtual production exploded during the pandemic after being pioneered while filming the next movie. mandalorian season one. Shoot anywhere in the world without ever stepping outside the virtual production stage.
LED display panels replaced green screens, and XR (augmented reality) augmented small parts of the set into full-fledged ones. Something. The result was perfect. The audience felt like a crew filmed on location in a galaxy far, far away. But in reality it was all done on a virtual production stage.
Even when we emerge from the pandemic, virtual production is here to stay because it allows us to maximize creativity and budgets by eliminating globe-trotting location shoots.
ARRI’s Virtual Production Stage
1899 is a new Netflix show that follows a group of multinational corporations as they steamship across the oceans to create a new life in America. But this adventure is far more of a nightmare. Quite literally.
But we won’t spoil anything for you.
The production team shot the series on ARRI’s virtual production stage (or “volume”), which they designed and built.That feel They built a massive set and looked like they were using giant water tanks, but in reality they utilized all the virtual production tools and crew ARRI has to offer.
Director Baran bo Odar, the team at ARRI Solutions, showrunners, cinematographer Nik Summerer, and many others worked together to bring the entire virtual production set to life. They utilized the now-standard semicircle with LED screens and were able to surround the actor, his pieces on set, the lighting, the crew, and the equipment. The stage floor is actually a turntable that rotates, allowing you to reverse angles and select other options. It saved me hours that I otherwise would have spent manually moving things around 180 degrees.
Lighting is important, according to Summerer, and “how well the foreground and background can be matched will determine how well the final picture will turn out,” he said. ants.
“What worked for me was combining professional lighting fixtures that augmented and complemented the established light source in the volume screen,” says Summerer. The team used “broader spectral sources like the ARRI SkyPanel” to achieve much higher quality skin tone replication within the volume.
Summerer and his team Ali Alexa Mini LFThis puts the LED panels out of focus in the background, and as he explained, the camera “gives an immersive, large-format look that I like, and I can feed the genlock signal to communicate directly with the LED wall.” I was able to do it,” he explained.
For lenses, Summerer chose a customized anamorphic solution from ALFA. These lenses, along with lighting and virtual production, 1899 Its overall atmospheric appearance.
Another tool used was a virtual camera with a 3D model. This allowed coach Baran Bo Oder, Summerrer, and the team to do a walkthrough of what the shots would look like. This is a huge advantage over green screen where most VFX is done in post, and the best you have on hand is a low-poly previs clip.
Will virtual production take hold?
Frankly, yes.
ARRI has invested heavily in virtual production, from stage to the ARRI Solutions team. And they’re not the only ones. Studios around the world are making similar investments in things like LED panels and cameras to keep this new production technology growing.
But what do you think? Are virtual productions limited to different types of film productions such as feature films, short films, TV shows, commercials, etc. Or are they reserved for specific productions? Let us know in the comments!
