The next big thing in VFX is… no VFX at all

I n the era before bluescreen and greenscreen photography, actors were often transplanted into exotic locations courtesy of simple rear-screen projection. The set-up for this was relatively straightforward: the actor stood in front of a screen, and behind it was a projector displaying previously-filmed images, of which the actor would pretend to be a part.

It was an effects methodology that often worked well because it existed in a controlled environment where sound, lighting and timing could be managed, and with a final ‘in-camera’ VFX shot captured, requiring no further effects work. Front projection became a variant of this technique, especially where only part of the frame required replacement.

Rear and front projection fell out of general favour and  . The quality of today’s projectors and screens — including, now, LED screens — have vastly improved, and such projections have become very useful for adding relevant interactive lighting, as well as giving actors something to look at while working a scene. Final in-camera ‘rear projection’ shots have thereby been edging closer to the illusion of reality once again, sometimes utilising pre-shot live-action footage for the projections, sometimes pre-rendered or pre-composited scenes.