Amazon’s gladiator series Those About to Die uses visual technology made famous by the Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Actor Emilio Sakraya raves about its possibilities
Fights and chariot races in Roman arenas were stressful affairs. As an actor in the gladiator series Those About To Die, it is extremely helpful to be able to empathize directly with the locations during filming. The biggest help was a technique from the Star Wars adventure The Mandalorian, as Emilio Sakraya reveals.
Those About to Die owes its images to Star Wars technology from The Mandalorian
Sakraya told Moviepilot:
The camera system is particularly impressive [on the Those About to Die shoot]. It’s called Virtual Stage and it’s incredibly elaborate. You have a 270-degree LED screen, and you can build everything in front of it as a set. As soon as the camera moves, the background on the screen moves with it.
A virtual stage, also known as a volume or under the generic term LED wall, is a type of virtual stage backdrop. Any background can be projected behind the physical set. Thanks to extremely powerful processors, the Virtual Stage is able to calculate the backgrounds, i.e. perspective, light or depth, when the camera moves.
Take a look at the Those About to Die work on a Virtual Stage here:
The technology was used for the first time on a large scale during the filming of the first season of The Mandalorian, as reported by Tech Crunch among others: Producer Jon Favreau had apparently been driving the development of the revolutionary technology for years. It has immense advantages.
Although it is very expensive, it saves the entire team having to travel to international locations. Subsequent filming, often the ruin of a production, is significantly simplified. Scenes can be lit more naturally than with a green screen. And according to Sakraya, the cast can immerse themselves in their roles much more easily:
[The technology] is very grateful for us actors: On another series I was in, we had to imagine a lot. A monster mauls you and you stare at a blank wall. The [Those About to Die] technique allows you to immerse yourself in a world much better.
(Hard to notice without prior knowledge: digital backgrounds in The Mandalorian)
When is Those About to Die season 2 coming to Amazon Prime Video?
The technology from The Mandalorian could also facilitate a second season of Those About to Die. Although it has not yet been confirmed by Amazon, producer Roland Emmerich himself believes it is very likely. He has already revealed story details. We don’t expect any new episodes before the end of 2025
