The visual effects team working for director Gareth Edwards have revealed that they used virtual reality (VR) technology in some critical scenes in Star Wars movie Rogue One. A virtual camera was utilised for several scenes were the background and landscape were entirely CGI.
In a video interview with BBC Click, the Visual Effects team showed off how the virtual camera set-up could work in environments that didn’t exist in real life to allow Director Gareth Edwards to get the perfect shot.
The virtual camera itself is essentially an iPad with a HTC Vive controller attached to it. This allows the user to maneuver around a virtual environment such as the Death Star or the space battle above the planet Scarif that forms the climax of the movie.
The visual effects team on Rogue One described Gareth’s Edwards approach as being very hand-on and physical, so he appreciated the opportunity to create more naturalistic and realistic shots in a virtual environment.
The full interview with BBC Click can be seen below. VRFocus will provide further information on VR use in movies and TV as we get it.