Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy confirms that the Volume wasn’t used in the Star Wars prequel series. StageCraft is an on-set visual effects technology that renders immersive environments and settings, and the Volume is the ultra-HD video-wall soundstage where it’s implemented. Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett have used this feature, but that won’t be the case in Andor.
In an interview with Empire, Gilroy spoke succinctly about how they’re approaching filmmaking in Andor. “Yep, we’re old-school,” said Gilroy. “We didn’t use StageCraft at all.”
Based on the Andor official trailer, which showed people in natural environments looking up at the incoming Empire, the choice to keep much of it real pays off. The series has stuck with predominantly practical environments, and massive sets were built in Pinewood Studios rather than using the infamous Volume, which has begun to propagate throughout the production industry post-Mandalorian.
Diego Luna and Fiona Shaw have praised the beauty of practical locations and effects in Andor, and shared their experiences working in this kind of environment. For Luna, it helped him get into the character of the story even more, and Shaw was simply amazed by what the production created for her character Maarva.
Newly confirmed for the series is Forrest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera, who played an important role in Rogue One. Saw Gerrera is a Clone Wars veteran known for his extremist methods and dies after leading rebels against Imperials. In the trailer for Andor, Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) is seen talking to Saw in an attempt to recruit him against the encroaching Empire.
Andor premieres September 21 on Disney Plus with three episodes.