Andor won’t be the only Disney+ series to skip The Volume — and that’s OK

StageCraft — commonly referred to as The Volume — has changed how TV shows can be made. But just because everyone doesn’t use it doesn’t mean it isn’t any less of a marvel.

According to a recent Empire story, series creator Tony Gilroy confirmed filming and production didn’t involve The Volume at all.

He explained further during a Television Critics Association panel last week: “Either you’re a Volume show or not a Volume show. It just didn’t lend itself to that kind of production and you can’t choose between them.”

So his choice was to trade digital sets for old-fashioned, on-location filming. This was likely what production decided would be best for the show, and soon we’ll see for ourselves how that will all play out.

Even though The Volume has been heavily used in Disney+ live-action Star Wars thus far, Andor doesn’t have to be the sole exception — and probably won’t be, as more of these shows are developed. This doesn’t mean StageCraft isn’t revolutionary or that it doesn’t create magnificent visuals. It’s a simple factor of filmmakers and showrunners having the luxury of picking and choosing the technology they want to use to bring their stories to life.

Creators and producers like Jon Favreau are going to want to continue showing off what The Volume can do — and that’s only going to make it better. New technologies require active experimentation to learn more about what should and shouldn’t be done with them. Some stories will benefit from its use; others won’t. And some storytellers will look at the pros and cons of using The Volume and decide, for their particular case, the “old” way is the best way.

As time goes on, producers and directors will find ways to mix and match different methods to make the highest-quality small-screen stories they can. The Volume is wondrous, but it’s also new. It might not turn out to be the best tool in every scenario. And that’s OK.

Follow Dork Side of the Force for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and more!