Live From Paris 2024: Inside Channel Nines XR Studio Operations with Alex Rolls, Head of Creative Studio location at TV Tower at Trocadero provides perfect real-world backdrop for next-gen visual effects By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - 5:48 am
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Channel Nine acquired the rights to Paris Olympics as well as all Games through Brisbane in 2032 only 18 months ago and that meant the team had to figure out a production plan of attack quickly. Today the Australian over-the-air broadcaster has a team of 150 in Paris and 300 back home that are delivering for viewers back home and also innovating with things like an XR studio to make their studio in the Trocadero TV tower seem much larger than it is.
Alex Rolls, Channel Nine, head of creative and innovation.
It's been a short runway for us, but we're pleased with how it's come together, says Alex Rolls, Channel Nine, head of creative and innovation.
An Olympic planning process typically takes years, especially when there is a commitment to being on site for the event in a big way. And that commitment is very much part of the Channel Nine ethos.
We have a fundamental belief of a commitment to presence, to be on site for all our major events, says Rolls. There's a lot of broadcasters in the world who are pushing feeds downstream, but we have to be here.
Knowing that they were going to be on site led to the next challenge: how could they bring Paris home to the viewers in Australia? Brent Williams, Channel Nine, director of sport, met with the IOC and discussed the possibility of being located in the Trocadero TV tower, complete with windows behind the talent that overlook the Eiffel Tower.
It was the quickest decision we made because we wanted that incredible view, and we're very thankful for that, says Rolls.
With the studio location nailed down Channel Nine then turned to a key production conundrum: how could they make the studio, which is only eight square meters in size, have a sense of scale that matches such a massive (and long) event? That's where relationships with other rights holders came in handy.
I've been very interested in getting us into the extended reality space and myself, Brent, and our CTO John Brandon jumped on a plane and went to England to meet with an old mate of mine, John Murphy who is creative director at the BBC, says Rolls. He's been a pioneer in the space with the BBC and we went up to Manchester and saw their virtual studios in action. By the time we were on the plane home to Australia, we were committed to it.
With the decision to bring XR to the Games the next question was who to work with on ensuring the virtual studio looked great, camera moves were smooth and realistic, and more. Channel Nine has been working with AE Live for a few years now and their reputation in creating big, virtual set extensions all around the world made them a natural fit.
I'm very proud of the partnership and what we've done with them as well as a company Jago Design, also based in London, says Rolls. Fundamentally the look of the Games is very much done in house at Nine with our own design team led by Reg Squires and we're delighted with how it's all come together.
One of the interesting philosophical questions anyone embracing the XR environment is what, exactly, are you trying to portray in the environment, what is the emotional response you want from viewers, and how can you ensure that it is something the talent is comfortable working in? All big questions, and Rolls says for Channel Nine it began with a few goals, including a vibe that is focused on the Games but also a nod to Paris and its rich history of fashion and art.
The Channel Nine set virtual set extension is in front of the real-world studio and real-world view of the Eiffel Tower.
We became very interested in these 1950s Parisian posters and the classic style, and we've replicated that and reimagined it so that in combination with our real studio gives us a nice balance between the nod to Paris's history and then the slickness that you can do with virtual set extensions and being modern, he says.
The XR set also had to augment the storytelling that the presenters were talking about.
It's a cliche, but storytelling is a huge part of what we do at Nine, says Rolls. We invest a lot of money in it, a lot of time in it, and it was obviously a leap of faith for our presentation team to come here and to be introduced to virtual studios and set extensions for the first time ever and at the biggest sporting event in the world.
The use of XR allows for cool visualizations like massive medals dropping into the studio.
That meant not walking through the whole XR environment and making sure they were confident it was going to work properly.
The feedback's been fantastic, and it's been amazing, and, at the moment, I don't think we could be happier, really, says Rolls. This is the first time an Australian broadcaster has gone into this space with a virtual set extension to this level, and I'll just finished by saying, as far as we are aware, it's the longest distance that a remote production's traveling because all of our presentation team is here. But the key personnel and the engine hub is being directed out of Sydney with the executive producers and the directors who are putting the show together. So that's a challenge that our CTO John has had to wrestle with from day one.
Robotic cameras are also controlled from Australia, but latency has not been an issue. One thing that was an issue was getting the robotic arm from the ground up to the Channel Nine studio in the TV tower.
A robotic camera in Paris is controlled from Channel Nine's production team in Australia.
It was too heavy and also cou
