The filmmakers behind theStar Warssaga have always been on the cutting edge of new filmmaking techniques. Franchise creator George Lucas pioneered brand-new CGI technologies to make the prequel trilogy possible. The prequels ended up being heavily criticized for their reliance on primitive computer-generated effects. With Industrial Light & Magic’s new StageCraft technology – pioneered forThe Mandalorianand subsequently used inThe Book of Boba Fett,Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the upcomingThe Acolyte– history is repeating itself.
StageCraft is an on-set virtual production VFX tool that allows filmmakers to shoot against finished CGI. Considered a revolution in the field of visual effects, StageCraft production involves high-res video walls set up around a soundstage called “The Volume.” WhenThe Mandalorianfirst premiered, StageCraft seemed like a great way to achieve movie-level effects on a TV budget. But after being overused inThe Book of Boba FettandObi-Wan Kenobi, it’s become clear that ILM’s digital StageCraft is giving the Disney+Star Warsstreaming shows a very cheap look, detracting fromthe prestige of the iconic saga.
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When cinematographer Greig Fraser ran into issues while shootingRogue One, ILM began working on a VFX technology that would nullify those problems. That technology might’ve made production a lot easier, but it created a bunch of new problems with the end results. Jon Favreau had experimented with similar CG shooting environments when he remadeThe Lion King, sowhen he createdThe Mandalorianand teamed up with ILM – who were waiting for the right filmmaker to test-run their newfangled tech – to bring it to life, it seemed like a match made in heaven.Favreau’s involvement inStar Warsgave ILM a chance to try out its new tech with a filmmaker who was equipped to use it.
Tatooine used to be shot in Tunisia. Lucas’ original movies, including the CG-heavy prequels, captured the grit of a real desert by actually traveling to one. Now, thanks to “The Volume,”Tatooine is a literal CG sandbox. The digital blur of blistering heat doesn’t compare to the real thing. The ease with which filmmakers can conjure any environment they want with the StageCraft tech means they’re getting lazy. It’s much more tempting to recreate Tunisia on a video wall than to actually fly over there and shoot a TV show in the sweltering sunshine. But the final product suffers as a result.
It doesn’t matter how close to perfection ILM manages to get with CGI technology; CGI will never compare to footage shot on a real camera at a real location. Chloé Zhao’sEternalswas far from a perfect movie, but thanks to Zhao’s insistence on using real shooting locations with natural light, it looks fantastic. With “The Volume,” everything looks too polished and manufactured. All the edges and imperfections are airbrushed out, so the compositions are clean, which goes againstthe groundbreaking “used future” aestheticof the original films.
Most StageCraft footage has a bland color palette. Nothing feels natural; the sunlight is artificial. This technology was developed as an alternative to greenscreens, but it ultimately suffers from the same problem: flat, lifeless visuals. The Volume allows the actors to react to the environments their characters are in, because the CG is already being projected where there used to just be matte green. But it makes very little difference to the audience – StageCraft footage still looks just as fake as greenscreen footage. StageCraft footage often turns out to be either too light or too dark. In the bright, sunny, overlit landscapes of Tatooine, nothing is left to the audience’s imagination. In the grayish settings ofObi-Wan and Vader’s duels, it’s often difficult to tell what’s going on.
The angles and movements that the camera can achieve are limited by shooting on a soundstage full of giant TV screens as opposed to a wide, open filming location. The cinematography in these Disney+Star Warsshows is mostly confined to close-ups and midshots – in other words, standard TV coverage. The Volume makes these streaming series look more like frugal TV shows with restrictive budgets than big-screen blockbusters with the same hefty price-tag. Rumor has it thatObi-Wan Kenobicost $25 million an episode, but it doesn’t look like a show that cost that much.Game of Thrones’ action-packed season 2 episode “Blackwater” cost a third of that – $8 million, according toSlate– and looks three times as cinematic.
Star Warsstories are supposed to be a western and a samurai movie rolled into one, set in a galaxy far, far away. Lucas gavethe originalStar Warsmoviesa pulpy, old-school, deeply cinematic aesthetic that made them unique and engaging. That old-school aesthetic is quickly becoming a thing of the past in the Disney era. Thanks to StageCraft,Star Warsis settling into a generic house style.
There’s some great lighting inObi-Wan Kenobi. Director Deborah Chow masterfully used Obi-Wan and Vader’s lightsabers as a source of cinematic light. She usesthe blue and red illuminating the duelists’ facesto represent the dichotomy of the light and dark sides of the Force.Star Warsneeds to lean more heavily into classical filmmaking techniques like symbolic lighting and less into creating entirely computer-generated environments for its characters to inhabit. Sure, it’s a lot easier to shoot on an oversized video village, but at a massive artistic cost.
