91裸聊视频淧ercy Jackson and the Olympians91裸聊视频� is an effects-laden adaptation full of Greek gods, mythical monsters and otherworldly landscapes, but its young stars say they didn91裸聊视频檛 have to rely on imagination to visualize their fabled scene partners.
Disney Plus says the British Columbia-shot series, based on Rick Riordan91裸聊视频檚 best-selling fantasy novels, uses cutting-edge technology that forgoes green screens.
It91裸聊视频檚 billed as the first project shot in Canada to use the technology, dubbed StageCraft. At its heart is a newly built virtual production stage in Vancouver, known as 91裸聊视频渢he volume,91裸聊视频� which consists of 28-metre LED video walls that immerse actors inside computer-generated environments in real time.
Actors on the stage see video projections of CGI backdrops and characters that would traditionally be added in post-production.
Designed by Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Disney91裸聊视频檚 Lucasfilm, the stage91裸聊视频檚 first project was 91裸聊视频淧ercy Jackson,91裸聊视频� but there are more to come.
91裸聊视频淸The volume] is just insane. The fact that we could be in New York one day and Los Angeles the next is crazy,91裸聊视频� says 14-year-old Walker Scobell, who plays the titular hero.
91裸聊视频淭hey even added built-in sprinklers to the ceiling of the volume stage because there91裸聊视频檚 so many raining scenes in the show.91裸聊视频�
Directed by James Bobin, the series follows a 12-year-old demigod and his friends as they travel across America to return Zeus91裸聊视频檚 lightning bolt and prevent a war from breaking out.
91裸聊视频淚t was definitely very surreal,91裸聊视频� adds Leah Jeffries, 14, who plays Annabeth Chase, Percy91裸聊视频檚 pal and the daughter of Athena.
91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檝e read the book and know all the details that are in it, the creators made sure it was all in there. Even small things like, 91裸聊视频楾here was a box with a red mark on the side.91裸聊视频� The volume made it more intense because you saw it come to life in 3D.91裸聊视频�
ILM has other volume stages in Manhattan Beach, Calif., The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., and in London, England. The California-based stages were used for Disney Plus91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淭he Mandalorian91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淥bi-Wan Kenobi,91裸聊视频� while the London stage was used for this year91裸聊视频檚 Marvel Studios feature 91裸聊视频淎nt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t takes a lot of pressure off your mind to constantly uphold what the show91裸聊视频檚 world looks like,91裸聊视频� says Aryan Simhadri, 17, who plays Percy91裸聊视频檚 half-goat quest mate Grover Underwood.
He recalls a pivotal scene from the pilot set in a cabin in Montauk, N.Y., but actually filmed from the stage.
91裸聊视频淎ny time you glance out of a window in the Montauk cabin, it91裸聊视频檚 nice that instead of being startled by a green screen you forgot was there, you can see the reds and blues of the sunset. It helps you stay in it.91裸聊视频�
The actors do have some reservations about the technology, though.
91裸聊视频淭he one small drawback was how hot it was,91裸聊视频� says Scobell, noting the lights from the screens could get quite bright. 91裸聊视频淚t got hot. But it was nice in the winter.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淧ercy Jackson91裸聊视频� was filmed in B.C. from June 2022 to February of this year, but Scobell, a Los Angeles native, got his first taste of Canadian winter while filming 202291裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淭he Adam Project91裸聊视频� in Vancouver, where he played a young version of Ryan Reynolds91裸聊视频檚 character. He says the 91裸聊视频淒eadpool91裸聊视频� star not only provided mentorship, but indirectly prepared him for his current role as a heroic demigod.
91裸聊视频淗e told me about a lot of great food places around B.C., one of which is related to Percy Jackson 91裸聊视频� Aphrodite91裸聊视频檚 Cafe,91裸聊视频� says Scobell.
91裸聊视频淭hey have, like, really, really good pie there. And it91裸聊视频檚 all Greek gods-themed, like Olympus. That was really cool.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淧ercy Jackson91裸聊视频� isn91裸聊视频檛 all movie magic. Camp Half-Blood, the Greek demigod training facility in the series, was set at Minaty Bay, a coastal region along the Sea to Sky Highway.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think they could have picked a better spot for Camp Half-Blood,91裸聊视频� says Scobell. 91裸聊视频淚t had this pure blue, glacial water. It was amazing.91裸聊视频�
There was also some good old-fashioned physical training involved in the series. Simhadri91裸聊视频檚 character has goat legs, which required him to master the art of the satyr waddle.
91裸聊视频淚 learned how to walk like a goat,91裸聊视频� says Simhadri.
91裸聊视频淭hat was an interesting two months. I was [walking] like that for, like, 10 months after we wrapped. It felt weird to put my heel down on the ground, so I had to manually teach myself how to walk like a person again.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淧ercy Jackson and the Olympians91裸聊视频� premieres on Disney Plus in the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 20.
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