Spoilers First Look at STAR TREK: DISCOVERY’s Virtual Set

[Tuskin38]

Very cool!

https://blog.trekcore.com/2021/07/first-look-at-star-trek-discoverys-virtual-set/

It's also being shared with Strange New Worlds and other TV shows that work with Pixomondo.

 

[Isaac Lawrence]

I always wondered, for something like the Iceland shoot for "That Hope Is You, Part 1," is it possible to do that on the virtual sets.

Looking at an early-on scene, most of that I imagine can be done, but when the camera pulls back for the "world shot" (at about the 32-second mark, and again as the 1:12 mark), it seems like that would require a lot of extra purely digital work to get the same effect...

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...but if you're there on location it's a very simple shot. So I wonder what all is possible at this point with the AR walls/virtual sets.

I also always wondered about how well can you do cities. Because Star Trek rarely does bustling cities that actually look real, and that's because of time and cost reasons, I imagine (and maybe story reason too, I guess).

My favorite scene from Star Trek Into Darkness is the London scene (yes, I'm easily entertained)...

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They can do that in the movies because they have the time and the money to do it. I wonder with the virtual sets can you pull off some of those exterior shots for television as well. Because stuff like that is what I would really like to see done in Star Trek television. Make it more "real" and whatnot.

Discovery is already cinematic-like. So the more we can get rid of the "like" the better, methinks, and hope is more possible now.

EDIT:
I'm also guessing Star Trek may be "outside" more now. Discovery is outside fairly regularly, but more never hurts.

 

[Tosk]

Looking at an early-on scene, most of that I imagine can be done, but when the camera pulls back for the "world shot" (at about the 32-second mark, and again as the 1:12 mark), it seems like that would require a lot of extra purely digital work to get the same affect...but if you're there on location it's a very simple shot. So I wonder what all is possible at this point with the AR walls/virtual sets.

The digital work is already very largely done at that point. The assets are created in advance for use in the volume, so you also use them to create the wider digital shots you need.

 

[fireproof78]

They can do that in the movies because they have the time and the money to do it. I wonder with the virtual sets can you pull off some of those exterior shots for television as well.

Yes, you can:

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[Isaac Lawrence]

The digital work is already very largely done at that point. The assets are created in advance for use in the volume, so you also use them to create the wider digital shots you need.

Yeah, I understand that, and The Mandalorian did something like that in the opening scene of it's first episode. And I assume that was done in their Volume. What they did was more of a vista shot though and not an overhead shot like what was done in Discovery. But of course that was probably what the story called for.

I believe in the first episode of the second season they did do something similar to what was done in Discovery. But I believe that episode was shot outside on location.

I don't know though, because I don't pay that great deal of attention to what can be done with the technology, because I don't follow it at all. I guess I will though now that Discovery is going to be using it.

Yes, you can:

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Yeah, I know they can do things like that, because that's all that The Mandalorian is really using it for... What I mean is can they do cities.

I guess for like Star Wars, can they do Coruscant in their Volume? I suppose they can, they just haven't had a story reason to do it yet. But either way, I've still never seen it done. So how would it look? Or is that something that you can still really only do in a movie, because you have the time and the money to do it in a movie. And I guess what I'm constantly thinking is big, establishing shots. Which I guess is not something that you would necessarily use this technology for anyway.

Of course, for cities all that you would be doing is creating the background. And you would fill in the rest with sets. So what I'm thinking may again not even be what they would use this particular technology for...

So yeah, I guess I should wait and see how Star Trek would use this, and what they would do with it in Discovery. For Strange New Worlds it's easy to imagine what they'd use it for... to create strange new worlds.

For Discovery though, what are you guys using it for? In the season 4 teaser there's a few shots that look as though they may be utilizing it...

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...but that's just a quick teaser that we can't draw much of anything from yet.

So I guess I should be patient.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, I know they can do things like that, because that's all that The Mandalorian is really using it for... What I mean is can they do cities.

As long as the assets are built probably yes. It would be no different than creating the draw distance in a city based video game.

 

[Beckerjr]

As long as the assets are built probably yes. It would be no different than creating the draw distance in a city based video game.

Well its the same technology. The Mandalorian screens are rendered using Epic's Unreal engine. Don't know if Discovery's is the same one.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I've said it before, but I find it endlessly amusing they're using it to replicate Vasquez Rocks

 

[Tosk]

can they do Coruscant in their Volume?

Yes. There's nowhere you can't use it for. Think of it as a really good, versatile greenscreen. (You can even use it to project a greenscreen behind someone for times where that would be helpful.)

I don't know though, because I don't pay that great deal of attention to what can be done with the technology, because I don't follow it at all.

What I mean is, the backgrounds are often rendered using CG to use within the volume, so the CG work is already done. You just take the same assets and render the wide shot, or overhead shot, or whatever it is you're after.

That's not to say it's a click of a button, but this isn't a situation where you get the volume and then abandon "traditional" CGI shots.

 

[Orphalesion]

Great does that mean they can stop making every planet "Planet British Columbia" now?
Would be nice to see some warmer planets.

(Yes, British Columbia is very pretty, but it's also, at this point extremely over-used in television, and yes, I know the reasons for that)