Aiming to explore the potential of virtual production, German broadcaster SWR has deployed a Sony VERONA LED wall at Studio 6 in Baden-Baden.
Centred on the reality show Fehler im System (Errors in the System), the project will entail presenters, hosts and actors performing in front of digital backdrops synchronised live with the cameras. Moving in line with the camera, the background ensures a realistic image is created live in the studio, with no need for post production.
The project aims to open up new possibilities for streaming and TV production in virtual production. For four hours each day on 24th and 25th October the studio will be transformed into a dystopian world, with the programmes broadcast live in twitch.t/ard.
The initiative marks the first time a multi-camera production with three tracked cameras is being implemented live in virtual production. Entering into a development partnership with Sony, SWR is utilisng a 10 x 4 metre Crystal LED VERONA screen with Sony’s new OCELLUS tracking system. OCELLUS was developed specifically for augmented reality and virtual production across the broadcast and cinema sectors.
Michael Eberhard, SWR director of technology and production, commented, “Virtual production with multiple tracked cameras can be a real game changer for the media world in many ways: it gives us creative possibilities and makes us more efficient, flexible and economical. The technology can also open doors for collaboration in public broadcasting, making it a perfect fit for our times. Thanks to the commitment of my colleagues and the technology partners involved, we have succeeded in installing a test setup at our Baden-Baden site at short notice, which we will be testing extensively until the end of the year.”
Sebastian Leske, head of cinema business development at Sony Europe, added, “Studio productions face the challenge of seamlessly and harmoniously blending actors, presenters and a studio set with a virtually generated background. This works best when the individual components, from LED walls to camera technology and sensors, are coordinated and work together as a well-rehearsed team, and when a comprehensive software solution brings these components together in an efficient workflow. This gives creativity much more space in the television studio.”
Unreal Engine was used in the creation of the six virtual sets, while the planning, construction, setup and calibration of the production technology was accomplished through a collaboration with Austrian AV company AV-Professional.
Four further use cases: scenic documentation/trailers, live-on-tape studio production, challenge formats and social media explanatory formats will be evaluated during the three-month project.
