Tag Archive: Extended Reality

1. Rose Bruford College partners with White Light for an XR evolution in higher education

   1 December 2022 10:51 Leave a Comment

   

   As part of its £1.9 million capital investment in infrastructure, sector-leading Rose Bruford College has partnered with technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) on its new extended reality (XR) stage. Funded by a capital grant from the Office for Students – England’s higher education independent regulator – the investment has also enabled a significant upgrade across all college Lighting, Audio and IT resources.

   WL was appointed following a rigorous tender process, based on finding a collaborative partner to equip the college with cutting-edge technologies to help prepare its students for a changing world, particularly in the broadcast, media and virtual production spheres; where technical skills are converging. Having the right toolkit to facilitate this evolution and heighten learning is of huge importance to the college.

   Dr Nick Hunt, Digital Research and Innovation Fellow at Rose Bruford College, comments: “This investment into our digital and technical infrastructure builds on our existing capabilities. We can now offer students undertaking a range of courses, unparalleled learning and development opportunities, preparing them for both traditional sector roles and the rapidly expanding mixed reality entertainment world. With WL’s expertise in this field, they were the ideal choice to collaborate with. With high demand for the XR stage across multiple stakeholders, we needed a partner who would understand and engage with the many different requirements and deliver a seamlessly interchangeable solution.”

   Throughout the system design process, workshops were conducted to value-engineer a solution that harnessed the potential of WL’s award-winning SmartStage® technology, while satisfying the College’s bespoke needs and budget parameters. This enables Rose Bruford to benefit from film and broadcast-grade technologies, integrated into a system that allows flexibility for re-configuration and evolution in the future. The Rose Bruford XR stage will have a broad application for technical arts and design students, training actors to perform on mixed reality stages and for professional training purposes. Mary Oliver, acting Principal remarked “This future facing investment follows in the college’s long history of being the first in the field to develop innovative degree level technical courses, we are the only Drama School in the UK with this resource currently, and demonstrates our understanding of how the theatre crafts are expanding into a wide range of media production sectors”.

   Sarah Cox, WL’s Business Development Consultant, adds: “Rose Bruford’s tender originated from their desire to explore and invest in XR technologies and virtual production techniques in this fast-moving industry. We understood that the facility had to be a flexible and configurable solution for maximising accessibility across the college. Drawing on our pioneering R&D in XR and learnings from producing SmartStage to achieve a smooth UI/UX end user experience, we designed and installed a multi-purpose LED volume system. We’re confident that this will greatly enhance the learning journey for their students and we’re excited to see how the solution evolves.”

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2. White Light’s SmartStage® extended reality XR studio makes the cut for British and Irish Lions 2021 tour squad announcement

   2 July 2021 14:09 Leave a Comment

   

   The British and Irish Lions rugby squad taking on reigning World Champions South Africa in an upcoming summer tour was recently announced via live stream, across multiple global broadcast networks. Global integrated marketing agency, CSM Sport & Entertainment produced and directed the full show and appointed technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) to deliver the broadcast services, via their SmartStage® extended reality (XR) studio in London.

   Working in close collaboration with FRAY Studio, a custom set was created using the Lions’ digital assets and imported into the Unreal Pre-Visualisation tool. This enabled the creative team to see exactly which shots could be achieved and make changes as needed to sponsor logos and other content, in advance of the live show.

   WL’s strategic partner SFL captured outside broadcast footage from Cardiff, which included the full-body teleportation of the Lions team captain – Alyn Wyn Jones, into the SmartStage® environment for interviews.

   Fraser Carr-Gomm, WL’s Gallery Manager comments: “On the day, we managed the studio floor ensuring that everything ran to schedule, as well as managing the streams to multiple broadcasters, social media platforms and live transmission recordings. An onsite editor was creating segments to be sent out to press and broadcasters and pushed live immediately after the announcements were being made. Virtual press conferences with the captain and coaching staff were conducted over Zoom and everything was seamlessly integrated into the SmartStage® extended reality (XR) studio, where presenter Lee McKenzie was hosting in-person.”

   Adam Shapland, Associate Director at CSM said ‘The delivery of the squad announcement is a hugely significant moment for sport in 2021 and a world first for any rights holder. It was fantastic to be able to work with The British and Irish Lions to bring this to life and show the world what the future of live experiences and events can look like for the next generation of fans. CSM and White Light’s expertise and knowledge in this space, coupled with the excitement and anticipation of rugby’s most prestigious tour, made for an unforgettable squad announcement. And there is much more to come!’

   The team announcement was broadcast via 40 worldwide sports networks, across six different streaming platforms and reached up to 100,000 concurrent viewers.

   To find out more about and SmartStage®, please visit: www.SmartStage.tech or contact us

3. SUSE IPO launch virtually transports global audience to Frankfurt Stock Exchange trading floor via White Light’s XR SmartStage®

   29 June 2021 09:34 Leave a Comment

   

   Last month, SUSE, a global leader in innovative, reliable and enterprise-grade open source solutions, made its initial public offering (IPO) debut on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.  In response to the limitations of physical events brought on by the pandemic and in lieu of being at the Deutsche Börse in person, SUSE reinvented the entire listing day experience with a digital-first approach. SUSE collaborated with Deloitte Digital, using technical solutions specialist White Light (WL’s) XR SmartStage® in London, to create an entirely virtual experience that could reach its global audience.

   Bespoke virtual worlds, and overall storyline, created by Deloitte Digital / ACNE, together with their production partner NSYNK Gesellschaft für Kunst und Technik mbH, using Unreal Engine, were seamlessly integrated into the SmartStage® environment and remotely edited via VPN from Frankfurt. The environment was further enhanced with extended reality (XR) features, such as a virtual drone to visually transport the audience from the stage in London to Frankfurt, and onto the trading floor of Deutsche Börse. SUSE’s success is driven by the power of many, which they showcased by bringing together colleagues from around the world for a virtual bell ringing ceremony celebrating this milestone. WL also worked in close collaboration with Deloitte and SUSE, with creative direction from Hamburg, Berlin, and Seattle.

   Mark Sutcliffe, WL’s Account Manager comments: “The SUSE IPO launch was one of the most technologically-advanced events we have delivered using our XR SmartStage® to date. As well as the multiple remote connections to stakeholders in different locations, NSYNK were driving the Unreal worlds live with multi-user edits and calling camera shots from Germany. To manage this, we specified the Riedel Bolero Artist infrastructure, for flawless VoIP comms.”

   “When faced with a 100% virtual IPO bell-ringing ceremony, we used this as a catalyst to reimagine and completely reinvent what a listing day could look like. Our goal was not only to celebrate a new milestone but also to bring our colleagues into this celebration,” said April Moh, Chief Communications Officer, SUSE. “We were able to push the boundaries of our creativity thanks to the technology expertise of, and collaboration with, our partners.”

   To find out more about XR and SmartStage®, visit www.SmartStage.tech or contact our team

4. White Light’s SmartStage takes up new residency at The Mermaid London to offer COVID-secure dedicated xR studio for hire

   25 January 2021 11:37 Leave a Comment

   

   Leading technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) is set to launch an additional SmartStage facility, developed specifically for broadcasters and live event producers, at The Mermaid London. Available to hire from 1^st February, this fully COVID-secure studio has been designed to facilitate hybrid productions within the central city location, enabling both real and virtual audiences to attend simultaneously.

   As The Mermaid’s in-house production partner, WL has drawn on its intricate knowledge of the building, and extensive experience of designing, installing and operating xR venues, to offer a turn-key solution. The technology powering SmartStage has won several awards for innovation and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has revolutionised the delivery of virtual events for clients in a range of sectors. It was also seen recently on Eurosport’s coverage of the US and French Open tournaments and the BBC’s transmission pilot for Bamous, a new comedy entertainment show.

   Located within The Mermaid’s 600-seat Auditorium, the flexible 5m x 5m SmartStage studio environment also comes with dedicated dressing room, rehearsal, and production spaces onsite. All hire bookings are fully supported by WL’s expert Venues team.

   

   Jonjo Glynn, WL’s Venues Director comments: “Last year we increased our SmartStage offering with a dedicated facility for hire at the Science Museum. This proved invaluable to many clients, who had to pivot to fully digital delivery of their flagship events, and they were all blown away by the endless possibilities with xR. The flexibility of the solution allows the seamless integration of multiple technologies to enhance the immersive environment, even to the extent of teleporting presenters from anywhere in the world. We are excited to be placing the UK centre stage with xR technology once again, by offering SmartStage within a prestigious London venue. We are already working with many corporates to plan their virtual and hybrid events for 2021.”

5. Spirit Studios debuts BBC’s Bamous as first xR broadcast for terrestrial television using White Light’s SmartStage

   20 January 2021 13:37 Leave a Comment

   

   Last night, following its hugely popular preview on BBC Three (Online), the transmission pilot for the BBC’s new comedy entertainment show Bamous was aired on BBC1. Developed and produced by Spirit Studios, the episode was filmed within a dedicated xR studio, in a ground-breaking new departure for terrestrial television broadcast. As renowned global leaders in deploying innovative xR solutions across a range of different markets, White Light’s (WL) multi-award winning SmartStage was the choice location for the shoot.

   The satirical new pilot, starring comedians Dane Baptiste, Toussaint Douglass, Munya Chawawa, Lola Jagun and Thanyia Moore, explores the nature of fame amongst the BAME community.

   Looking for alternatives to green-screen technology for content production, Spirit Studios engaged Director of Photography Chris Hollier in the early stages of development. Hollier has worked extensively with WL on pioneering projects, most recently on Eurosport’s coverage of the US and French Open tournaments. Hollier comments: “Having collaborated with WL since their first foray into xR production nearly four years ago, we have seen our ongoing R+D elevate sports broadcast to a game-changing new level. On receiving the brief from Spirit’s Director & Executive Producer Matt Campion, I knew that WL’s unrivalled experience in xR for broadcast, combined with the innovation behind SmartStage, would be pivotal to bringing the vision for this pilot to life.”

   SmartStage harnesses the full potential of xR, allowing a range of different technologies to be seamlessly integrated within one environment. As such, it far transcends the production capabilities of green screen. Natural lighting, reflections, real-time presenter tracking, optimised camera angles and increased visibility of the virtual world, all promote authentic engagement with content, to greatly enhance the broadcast experience.

   

   Content creation specialist MalfMedia was also introduced to the Bamous delivery team via WL, following many years of working together on a broad range of projects. Their Creative Director Michael Al-Far built all content in Unreal and facilitated remote collaboration amongst the development team, with off-line pre-visualisation of the studio and content. The SmartStage setup allowed Michael and other members of the team to continue working remotely even on the day of the shoot – crucial to reducing the number of crew on site and adhering to the strict COVID restrictions currently in place.

   Andy Hook, WL’s Technical Solutions Director, adds: “Four years ago we delivered the first-ever xR broadcast, when Eurosport utilised ‘The Cube’ for their international coverage of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. Since then, we have continued to lead the field and develop the world’s most advanced xR technology. To date, SmartStage has enabled us to deliver over 500 hours of xR broadcast and deploy state-of-the-art installations for clients around the globe. We are now able to offer the broadcast market, as well as many other sectors, an all-encompassing solution for both expertise in xR innovation, and dedicated studio facilities. Bamous was filmed using our SmartStage at London’s Science Museum and in collaboration with Fifty Fifty, MalfMedia and disguise, we are very proud to have helped execute the first xR broadcast to be seen on terrestrial television as yet another milestone on our xR journey.”

   The Bamous pilot can be viewed in full on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p091pydr/bamous

   In early February 2021, WL will launch an additional, dedicated SmartStage facility at The Mermaid London. This fully COVID-secure studio has been developed specifically for broadcasters and live event producers, drawing on WL’s extensive experience of designing, installing and operating xR venues. The facility has also been designed to facilitate hybrid productions, enabling both real and virtual audiences to attend simultaneously, and offers dedicated dressing room, rehearsal, and production spaces onsite.