The Batman using ILM VFX Stagecraft technology

The Mandalorian took a burgeoning technology, named it StageCraft and thust it into the public spotlight to multi award-winning effect, and now other productions are following suit including Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Batman, which revealed a new trailer at DC Fandome this past weekend.

The stunning first trailer image from The Batman shows the caped crusader against the Gotham skyline, which was reportedly filmed using ILM’s Stagecraft. Stagecraft as a term is a technical aspect in filmmaking that includes constructing scenery, focusing lighting, designing costumes, audio engineering, and makeup. While stagecraft stretches all the way back to ancient Greece, the more modern applications of the practice utilize a curved cocoon of glowing LED screens, sometimes called the Volume, to recreate locations on a soundstage.

Oh hello Gotham! This is familiar *wink* @m_santana *wink* #TheBatman

When you get to work with @GreigfraserD and @danlemmn and create shots like this 😁#stagecraft #ilm https://t.co/tPGUpqQFnA

— Charmaine Chan (@charmainesmchan) October 14, 2021

Loosely based on green screen technology, the Volume was first used to some degree in Disney’s live action The Lion King and was developed by Industrial Light & Magic. Also experimented with during the pilot for The Orville, the technology wasn’t fully implemented until the filming of The Mandalorian. The popular Disney+ series used high definition LED screens that could be filmed. These screens, which were part of the background, floor, and ceiling, could be rendered in real-time and track the motion of the camera, allowing for parallax motion. This technique in filmmaking allows a number of shots to be done “in-camera,” meaning not as much post-production is needed. Now, it’s been confirmed The Batman used a similar technique during production.

With ILM now working on Star Wars, Marvel, DC, James Bond and a number of other prominent franchises, expect to see plenty more from their worldwide houses and improvements in the tech as time moves on, and hopefully the Academy are paying attention.