The technology used by the makers of the Disney+ show The Mandalorian will soon be available to students at the School of Media & Performing Arts. George Brown has installed an LED wall at St. James Campus — tech that provides rich video effects (VFX) and backgrounds, like those seen on the popular Star Wars spin-off series as well as Star Trek: Discovery, which is shot in Toronto.
The 2.5-by-5 metre LED wall will give students hands-on experience working with industry-leading technology, said Trent Scherer, Chair of the School of Media & Performing Arts.
“We plan to incorporate this technology into all of our media programs,” he said. “Not only will our Visual Effects students be developing their software skills for this new LED hardware but our Video Design students are already learning the software used to power the images on the wall, as part of their special effects class to help them understand this tech as directors, cinematographers or camera operators.”
Video game engine used to set the scene
The software Scherer refers to is called Unreal Engine — a game engine created by Epic Games (the maker of Fortnite). Filmmakers like The Mandalorian director Jon Favreau use the game engine software to create and project incredible backgrounds on massive LED screens on set that can be changed and modified quickly. The process is faster than using post-production CGI (computer-generated imagery).
“Students in our Acting for Media, Video Design & Production, and Visual Effects programs will significantly benefit from having access to this technology,” Scherer said. “And our Screenwriting & Narrative Design and Sound Design & Production students will also learn and interact with this tech to fully understand how their industry is changing.”
Learn more about programs at the School of Media & Performing Arts, and learn more about how LED and game engine technologies were used on the set of The Mandalorian on Engadget.
