For the past few months, I’ve been involved in a ground-breaking project centered around the use of an LED volume. While I’m not at liberty to disclose the details just yet, participation has revealed many opportunities for technical and artistic growth. The people in charge are geniuses at what they do and their openness to collaboration and innovation have helped make this one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
In short, an LED volume is a nearly-enclosed stage featuring an arrangement of contiguously-linked LED panels which are used to display computer-generated or real-world-photographed content. This material then serves as a believable background to any foreground actors\elements that might be in play. At first blush, it’s easy to classify as the modern form of rear-projection, but that would be selling it infinitely short of its capabilities. If you’re not familiar with this amazing technology, it’s time to dive in and get acquainted. There’s no question that the future of cinematography will be deeply entwined with it.
Photographing action within the volume is not simple and requires an appreciable amount of expert support. But the cinematographer’s learning curve isn’t terribly steep. By scrupulous adherence to certain rules and procedures, fabulous results are guaranteed.
The Mandalorian (2019; Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS) and The Book of Boba Fett (2021; David Klein) are two productions that were early-adopters of the LED volume, but don’t think its applications are restricted to the science fiction\fantasy realm. Every day, directors and cinematographers are pushing its boundaries to find more creative and efficient ways to tell every type of story.
To offer the simplest illustration, I’ve included a clip from a recent scout of the Amazon volume stage in Culver City. The LED image is static, but you’ll get the idea. Also, ignore the strobing and iPhone artifacts; on site, the wall and ceiling piece were flawlessly rendered. When our group walked deeply enough into the horseshoe-shaped volume so that our peripheral vision was filled, each of us was certain we had entered an honest-to-goodness cave!
I’ll have more to say about this topic in the coming weeks…