MOOV highlights virtual studio flexibility for BBC and ITV Women’s World Cup coverage
ITV is adding a fresh perspective to its coverage with new presentation angles
MOOV is providing onscreen graphics and virtual studio updates for the BBC’s coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and has also helped ITV offer a fresh perspective by adapting its virtual studio set after it was successfully used for Six Nations coverage.
For the BBC’s on-screen graphics, MOOV has implemented the broadcaster’s designs, building them in Chyron Prime and integrating the templates with its Orion in-house graphics interface.
The company is providing two operators to work on the main studio show and one operator on the red button for games with the studio. They’ll be based on site in Manchester until the semi-final after which the shows will be presented on site and graphics will be added from Stockley Park.
The BBC also called on MOOV to update its Pres 2 Virtual Studio, something which allowed the company to showcase the skills of its creative team as well as its technical expertise. Unlike for previous sporting events, the BBC wanted something more playful and in line with FIFA’s branding for the Women’s World Cup, rather than the usual realistic skyline.
The BBC has opted for less realistic graphics that fit with FIFA’s branding for the tournament
“The BBC shared some concept art with our creative team and then it was our job to bring that to life outside the window,” explains Niki Whittle, business strategy executive at MOOV. “It has more of a cartoon feel, which embodies the vibrant local landscapes and rich colours of the two hosts. The creative team have had a lot of fun with this one, because they got to work with the BBC creative team, batting ideas back and forth. Then it was a case of getting that balance with the lighting and making sure it still looks realistic with that cartoon feel and with the presenters within the studio.”
Ensuring that balance was a particular challenge for the creative team as mixing realism with cartoon style while creating beautiful vistas of host countries Australia and New Zealand is no small feat. Lighting, shadows and the expectation of the viewers all had to be taken into consideration.
MOOV has also been busy updating ITV’s virtual studio which it launched back in February. Built in Unreal Engine, controlled using Brainstorm and operated by MOOV, the set features a physical desk along with multiple virtual stand-up and seated presentation positions. While the studio was successfully utilised for the Six Nations rugby, ITV wanted to be able to offer a fresh perspective for the Women’s World Cup. To achieve this, MOOV opened up the existing Unreal set, which was supplied by the original designers, Jim Mann of Lightwell and Toby Kalitowski from BK Design Projects, and offered ITV options to present from different corners of the studio.
“It’s a really good example on the benefits of using these virtual sets and really optimising how flexible they can be,” added Whittle. “With virtual studios it’s about how far your imagination can take you, within certain boundaries, so it’s a really interesting area.
“Virtual technology, Unreal Engine, all of that is expanding and production teams are becoming more confident. Especially with the ITV hub and the Six Nations going so well, that just builds the trust in the technology and workflows so now you can see that the more creative ideas are coming.”
She concludes: “I think what’s great at the moment is that we’re starting to see the BBC and ITV adapt their existing virtual studios and giving them fresh looks for different sports. It’s really showcasing how virtual studio sets can continually evolve without having to invest in physical sets or being tied to outdated sets. We’re seeing broadcasters get more experimental with how they’re using the studios and that’s quite exciting to see.”