Francis Ford Coppola’s major project “Megalopolis” will use a new virtual production LED technology, in a revolutionary studio: the Prysm Stage. With his impressive cast and therefore this great first in terms of virtual production, Francis Ford Coppola could once again mark the history of cinema.
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Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola, a disproportionate project for which the director released several tens of millions out of pocket, will be an event in several respects. Here are at least three.
First of all, it will be the return to the cinema of the legendary director ofApocalypse Now and the trilogy The Godfatherat least twelve years after his last film, Twixt. Then a casting all star is announced. Without naming them all, there are notably Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Jon Voight. With a start of filming scheduled for November 2022 – and scheduled to last until March 2023 – the list can and should grow even longer. Finally, Megalopolis will also be an event for the technology with which it will be produced: LED Volume production in the Prysm Stage.
What is the Prysm Stage?
The Prysm Stage is the first filming studio of a new kind. Located in Trilith Studios, south of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, this studio is intended for “virtual” production using LED Volume technology. This LED technology, developed by the company ILM, has already been used for films and series, the first time for the series The Mandalorian. This technology uses curved LED panels to obtain a surface covering up to 270°. On this surface are projected in real time thanks to the UnReal Engine of the images.
In a way, these are enhanced green funds. With a green background, images are added in post-production. But with LED panels, the images are already present at the time of shooting. Recent movies like The Batman, Thor: Love and Thunder or far from the ring road have used this technology.
The novelty brought by the Prysm Stage is its capacity to offer 360° LED volume. As well as ceilings also equipped with this technology, on a surface of 1700m². And the first film to be shot there will be Megalopolis, as announced in an official press release by Francis Ford Coppola. The film’s producer Michael Bederman explains:
Turning in an LED volume opens up new avenues for creating stories in cinema. What’s unique and exciting about filming “Megalopolis” at Prysm in Trilith is being able to marry traditional filming techniques with the most advanced virtual production capabilities in one location, and accessing the best of physical and digital media available to today’s filmmakers.