Viz Engine’s unified workflow kept viewers engaged in the action at home or in the venue, while the production team had full support for real-time adjustment and creative collaboration.
Netflix's debut MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) MMA event was broadcast live from the 18,000-seat Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Graphics created specially for the line-up of fights lit up the arena in an immersive experience for fans attending in person, while simultaneously bringing viewers on Netflix closer to the action.
The venue's famous Halo Board, LED displays, augmented reality (AR) graphics and all visual elements were designed and operated by Girraphic, an agency that specialises in virtual production and augmented graphical integrations. Their team aims to make the most of live broadcasts to entertain and inform audiences with eyecatching visualisations.
"In live sports, you never know what's going to happen, and that sense of anticipation brings fans to the edge of their seats,” said Nathan Marsh, GIRRAPHIC CEO, North/South America. “Visual elements on every screen should meet the magic of the moment. Our collective vision was to use graphics to engage the MMA fans in the venue as effectively as those watching on Netflix at home.”
A Stand-out Experience for Diverse Audiences
A unified graphics workflow was needed that would afford the production team the flexibility needed to deliver content for both Netflix viewers and fans in the stadium simultaneously, while controlling them from a single interface. Broadcasters, rights holders, streamers and leagues are shifting to this flexible type of strategy to achieve more productions, for more audiences, in less time and with limited added resources.
"Graphics teams everywhere creating live sports experiences are faced with similar challenges: serving multiple audiences, who watch the same events from multiple devices and points of view, at once. Because such services demand a great deal of creativity and collaboration, the technology in use must be flexible without compromising on quality," said Andrew O'Neil, SVP Sports Strategy & Growth, Vizrt.
The workflow uses Viz Engine 5 as its real-time 3D graphics rendering and compositing engine. The software is built with features to support production teams that are under pressure to produce quantities of high quality content with visual impact. Viz Engine can render video, graphics and data together in a single pass.
Independent Control
Its Adaptive Graphics feature automatically deploys graphics to multiple output formats simultaneously, saving time and resources. It also includes Transition Logic, which applies design-based, independent control of graphics layers, without code, and transitions from one to another automatically. A Master Scene, usually the background items, coordinates the animation of independently controlled Object Scenes, such as the lower third and full-screen graphics, that make up the whole.
For instance, when a lower third is played on air, the object scene for that lower third is triggered, telling Viz Engine to load the master scene, place the object scene inside the master, and animate the appropriate timelines.
To serve these adapted graphics to both linear channels and OTT/digital channels simultaneously, Viz Engine extends users’ return on investment by using a new Parallel Outputs feature. Now in Viz Engine version 5.5, artists have additional, dedicated GFX channels to increase channel flexibility for complex environments such as clean feeds, LED walls and multiviewers.
Colour Conversion
Version 5.5 now automates colour conversion for GFX channels to make mixing SDR and HDR consistent across all outputs. Viz Engines’ HDR-compliance speeds up the preparation of scenes extending into HDR colourspaces, for instance, giving access to higher brightness levels when producing sports graphics highlights and resulting in consistent, high-impact looks across multiple platforms.
Volumetric lighting enhances atmosphere and depth in scenes, with true light‑scattering effects that make AR, XR and virtual sets feel more cinematic and authentic.
Many Displays, One Interface
Combined with Vizrt's video wall and multi-screen control platform, Viz Multiplay, at the venue, the Girraphic team is able to create an original experience for nearly every live event, controlling all displays from a single interface. Playout is available in any aspect ratio to suit different demands.
Full MOS support is available for direct connection with newsroom systems, so that journalists can build rundowns themselves and push content straight to studio screens, keeping the content timely and consistent. Media asset management and search with metadata filtering are integrated to help teams find video clips and graphics they need. A series of video wall layouts can be designed and saved in advance for a team to switch between shows or stories.
Similarly, dynamic playlists can be run across every screen channel, allowing artists to control the line up, trigger and adapt content on the fly. By taking advantage of Viz Multiplay’s high channel count – 16 Superchannels and 32 Subchannels – operators can adjust layouts and positioning live on-air.
In the case of the Netflix MMA project, the solution blended pre-rendered animation, live video feeds and real-time broadcast graphics into a unified production workflow, making the management of giant LED displays in venues of all sizes relatively simple.
The Right Workflow
Venues, stadiums, and arenas are now multi-purpose spaces. One evening can hold a concert, the next afternoon a sports game, the next day another live event – each with its own audience, sponsors, purpose, and look and feel.
The right workflow simplifies the production process but expands imaginative possibilities. With Vizrt's tools and expertise, and Girraphic's creativity and skill, complex visual elements that engage fans like LED screens and AR graphics are, in every live broadcast, unique. www.vizrt.com
