Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1400113
Two critical solutions made The Mandalorian workfl ow fast and fl exible: 1. A shared Unreal Engine network between the Virtual Art Department (VAD) and previs. Version management software (Perforce's Helix) monitors and backs up digital assets as they navigate large team workfl ows. In a way, it is similar to the Google Docs versioning, in this case, applied to 3D scenes, and guarantees that the previsualization department always uses the latest set design iterations without manual deliveries. 2. The Production Designer and Art Directors had open, unfi ltered access to the Virtual Art Department and LED volume fi nal pixel vendors. While the VAD assisted the Art Department with design development support and 3D asset- building, the fi nal pixel crew (Lucasfi lm's Stagecraft) was responsible for managing the on- screen digital loads during principal photography. They refi ned and optimized the latest textured and lit 3D model from the VAD for the shoot. The VAD design review sessions were informal, similar to daily rounds, since we worked in the same space. However, the design reviews with Stagecraft were more formalized. We scheduled them twice a week over Cinesync with the supervisors in the Bay Area, ensuring that the Production Designer and ultimately, the director, have the fi nal say on what appears on the LED screens for principal photography. Here are a few workfl ow notes based on the central issues encountered while interfacing with these departments: -The Virtual Art Department has to stay in sync with the Art Department without overshooting or second-guessing. The 3D asset builders have to follow closely the material coming from the Art Department without any interpretation. If revisions occur during design reviews, both departments will have to refl ect them. In a way, the VAD is both a design development crew and a digital construction one. THE MANDALORIAN, SEASON 2. PRODUCTION DESIGNERS DOUG CHIANG AND ANDREW L. JONES. EPISODE 4. DEPENDING ON THE ACTION, AN ENVIRONMENT IS COVERED SOMETIMES BY TWO OR MORE LED VOLUME SETUPS. FOR INSTANCE, THE DIRECTOR MIGHT WANT TO SHOOT TWO DIFFERENT ANGLES, AND WHAT EXISTS IN ON SHOOT AS A PHYSICAL OBJECT WILL HAVE TO BECOME AN ON-SCREEN "DIGITAL TWIN" IN THE OTHER SHOT. STAGECRAFT RENDERS: ENRICO DAMM, LOOK DEVELOPMENT: BRIAN PACE, JAMES A SWEENEY, ROGER MATTHEWS. SET PLANS: JIM HEWITT A. & B. LUCAS FILM'S STAGECRAFT RENDERS FOR FINAL LED LOADS. CORRESPONDING VAD DELIVERY IS IN FRAME FOR CONSISTENCY CHECK. VOLUME VARIANT 1 VOLUME VARIANT 2 A B