Samsung’s ‘The Wall’ will be used to form a virtual movie studio

The emergence of virtual productions like those popularized by Disney’s The Mandalorian have given display giants a new niche for their massive screens. Sony, which boasts a movie production arm, is already using its modular crystal LEDs to provide backgrounds for shoots. Now, Samsung is getting in on the act through a new partnership with Korea’s CJ ENM, the entertainment group best known for the Oscar-winning social satire Parasite.

The pact will see Samsung provide its massive MicroLED TVs, known as The Wall, to the studio’s virtual production facility when it opens in Paju, Gyeonggi Province later this year. CJ ENM previously struck a deal with Fortnite maker Epic Games to use its Unreal Engine game engine — which also provided the digital backdrops for The Mandalorian — for future projects.

Virtual productions are gaining traction in global filmmaking. The technique involves the use of LED stages, game engines and VR to create and control computer-generated backdrops. Currently, the massive investment has limited the tools to blockbuster shoots, but industry insiders believe that could change as people realize the savings they bring on crew travel and physical sets and infrastructure. As a result, virtual production is …read more