New Filmmaking Technology: The ARwall is the Death of the Green Screen

Michael Plescia is a filmmaker with a vision. He used his vision to help influence the creation of a new mode of filmmaking technology.

He wanted to film a cyberpunk love story set in a dystopian futuristic world. Everyone told him this would not be possible, as the needed green screen backdrop would be way too expensive. So he realized that he had to find another means if he wanted his movie to come to life.

To make the film The Mop Liberator, Michael Plescia became involved with a new technology to show his science fiction world: a high tech screen that shows digital worlds in 3D.

It goes further than a green screen, rear-projection, and photo-backdrops. This rear screen method uses real light, real lens, in-camera, and needs no post-production. This technology is called an ARwall, developed by a company with the same name.

According to the ARwall company website, the screens works by using a tracker and a couple of sensors on set. The tracker is attuned and attached to the camera. When filming, the director of photography can move anywhere within the tracked space. The scene virtually plays in the background and updates in real-time, regardless of where the camera is.

Real time graphics are complicated, so to make the fake background seem real, they also had to partner with Matrix, a system integrator. Together, they were able to film The Mop Liberator.

For Plescia and other filmmakers, the ARwall is complex but also extremely rewarding. As a filmmaking tool, it really encourages freedom of expression and opens up vast possibilities for filmmakers; there is endless potential for what this could mean for the film industry as a whole. 

Interested in more? Check out Michael Plescia's experience working with this technology in the video below!