Finding Favreau: When virtual production is simply production.
Jon Favreau's work has had a profound impact on the film industry and has paved the way for new methods of cinematography. He has been a creative force for decades. I wouldn’t be the first to call him a maverick. Besides, the shoe fits. He manifested a style that embraced technology and revolutionized virtual production. His adoption of the burgeoning integration of virtual worlds seen through a physical camera was the inception of “The Jungle Book”. He took those lessons and those learned on “The Lion King” and went all in on virtual production with “The Mandalorian”. He committed, on all levels, to the process. But there is another story that is less well known. Favreau went to his closest advisors, masters of their own domains and cinematic innovators in their own right. When the Mandalorian tests were done and the workflows vetted, they advised him that it worked and that 15% of a show could be produced using virtual production scenes. Jon, the maverick, said to go for 50%. This request manifested the workflow that to this day has created hundreds and hundreds of virtual production shots.
Where are the Favreaus?
Jon Favreau wanted to work this way. To his crew virtual production is just production. So, now he is perfectly suited to reap the benefits. And there will be benefits. Anyone who talks about creating a show and game should work this way. Anyone who needs to shoot in snow should shoot this way. Anyone who has eight locations covering four pages should shoot this way. Anyone who wants to create the virtual assets for web3 and its accompanying launch material should be shooting this way. All they need is a writer, director, production designer, and a VFX supervisor who strives for the same goal. Jon Favreau was able marshal a production team of talent that modified how they worked. They were strict within their disciplines but open minded in their collaboration. Finding department heads that can work this way is getting easier to find but at the time it was a challenge. Favreau was able to look his team in the eye and present an unreasonable request as a viable vision. That is something special. There are others who are capable of such a thing but I argue that no one can rally a team that delivers as fast and effectively.
Where are the Favreaus? I am asking you, the up and comers and those of you standing on the sidelines. Jon Favreau and his team are going to be ahead of the game because he and the graduates of the Favreau Filmmakers Conservatory know what virtual production can and can not do. His department heads locked themselves in a room and figured out how to create each scene so when they were asked a question they all had the same answer. So to all you Favreau’s out there grab your writers, take the scripts and get into those rooms. Create those scenes. Ask yourself, what would Michel Gondry do? What would Kubrik do? What is Favreau doing right now? And yes, go see Avatar 2. The scenes you reveal in virtual production are so satisfying to make. If we do this with vision and passion we will contribute new vocabulary to the language of cinema.
