The Mandalorian: The Volume virtual set adds to great storytelling
The Mandalorian is pushing the limits of cinematic technologies
The Mandalorian wasn’t just fun storytelling or an introduction to a new great character. The Disney+ show also featured new technology in the filming space that is changing the game.
As Star Wars fans, we heard inklings of what Jon Favreau was doing on the set. The word technology was being thrown around, but how did we know what that even meant. We got to go behind the scenes and learn more about this technology with Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.
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That’s when we saw it: The Volume.
The Volume is a wraparound screen that takes over a scene, giving background and life to any set. Gone are greenscreens, but instead actors are thrown onto a set that feels immersive. Not much needs to be left up to the imagination with The Volume as it helps transport you anywhere you want to go.
Actors who have worked on The Mandalorian have marveled in it.
Recently, Giancarlo Esposito spoke with Collider about it, describing his experience in working on The Mandalorian for Season 2.
"“In the old days, we had greenscreen, which created our environment behind us,” Esposito said. “And now this world creates all of our solar system, our sky, our earth, but it’s really being projected through a computer. So I find that your imagination has to fill in the rest. And so it’s a different style of acting — you’re looking around the room, you may have some props to stand on, or the vehicle that you arrived in, whether it be my TIE Fighter, or something else. But there’s nothing else there, except what’s projected.”"
What is so interesting about the making of the show is just how much like George Lucas it really is. I’m not talking about from the storytelling aspect either.
Star Wars is Lucas’ child, but Lucas was more than just a screenwriter, but an innovator as well. Lucas owns more than 200 patents. Many of them have to do with advancing cinematic technologies.
It’s why CGI used in The Phantom Menace was such a big deal at the time.
Technologies have evolved since and it’s interesting to see they are still being pushed forward through Star Wars. They are taking chances and constantly pushing the limits to create compelling stories. It’s not just the words that count, but also the visuals that help form a complete story.
Star Wars is still taking us to worlds beyond our imagination. With The Volume, the actors get to go there too.
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Stream The Mandalorian and Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian on Disney+.