An independent Star Wars fan series that was shot in parts of South Surrey has made its debut.

The production, featuring about 100 cast and crew, is a non-profit initiative that’s volunteer-run. The five-part series was financed in part through Patron support, where contributors gain access to special benefits and rewards.

The first episode, Ground Zero, launched on YouTube this morning (May 12).

Directed by seasoned filmmakers Marco Bossow and Andy Brown, the series stars Troy Mundle, Mark Meer and Victoria Souter.

While the series is being promoted as a volunteer-run fan film initiative, viewers may be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the production.

The depth of experience from the cast and crew has played a role in that elevation, production assistant Wallis Paterson told Peace Arch News.

“This project is really unique because a lot of the people on it are very experienced and work on other major films. They just do this on the side because they love Star Wars,” Paterson said. “The work they put in is top notch because they have also worked on major blockbusters.”

Another unique aspect is a partnership between the project and Promosa.

Instead of a traditional green screen, Promosa offers an LED video wall. The flexibility of the video wall allows filming productions to instantly switch the scene backdrop without extensive post-production work. The technology provides the actors with a more immersive experience opposed to imagining what’s behind them on a green screen.

SEE ALSO: Bucketheads – A Star Wars Story being filmed in South Surrey

“We partnered with (Promosa) and they are testing their new technology on our film. We are helping each other and that’s part of why the quality is so good,” Paterson said.

Promosa uses the Unreal Engine, which is the same 3D-creation platform used for some of the biggest video games in the world, including Fornite.

Promosa’s Matt Readshaw said the partnership has been a great opportunity for the company to develop and test its systems.

“The main system we are developing with them is the use of Disguise, the Unreal Engine, camera tracking, and LED wall to create full virtual environments. This is currently ‘The Next Big Thing’ in cinematography so it has been great to keep us on the edge of film making technology,” Readshaw emailed to PAN.

Episode one is to be split into two parts. The first part is to run for about 12 minutes, and the full episode is to have a 30-minute run time.

The first chapter of episode one went live at 10:30 a.m.

Peace Arch News