Adapting to Crisis

LED Technique Created for Sci-Fi Could Provide an Alternative for Film Crews Limited by Lockdowns

A lighting technique pioneered for the film Gravity could be of use to small-scale video crews

LED-screens-PAGE-2020 — LED screens were used to mimic lighting for this pre-pandemic Cadillac ad shoot.Framestore

Inspiration meets innovation at Brandweek, the ultimate marketing experience. Join industry luminaries, rising talent and strategic experts in Phoenix, Arizona this September 23–26 to assess challenges, develop solutions and create new pathways for growth. Register early to save.

A cutting-edge effects technique used to bring space-scapes to life in big-budget sci-fi projects could be key to smaller video shoots here on an Earth gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, according to one major video effects firm.

The method involves reproducing a video backdrop on large LED screens to mimic the lighting and feel of a physical environment, without the need for a sprawling on-location shoot or the sometimes-clunky depth mismatches of a traditional green screen.

While