Karate Combat Blends Full-Contact Action With Real-Time Virtual Effects for Season 2
13/10/2020
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 - 9:34 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Ever wanted to see Mortal Kombat-style fights in real life? Well, the second season of Karate Combat on BeIN SPORTS XTRA is looking to provide just that: live broadcasts combine full-contact karate with cinematic production quality in a fully virtual environment.
Doing a live event in a fully virtual environment was certainly a challenge, says director/showrunner Justin Strawhand. And adding in the additional layer of non-standard broadcast equipment is challenging in and of itself.
The second season, which premiered Sept. 24, features bouts in four virtual worlds rendered in real time in Unreal Engine, the Epic Games engine behind Fortnite and other popular titles (as well an increasing number of sports-broadcast applications). According to Karate Combat, its live-to-tape broadcasts mark the first time a sports league has blended real-time virtual effects with real-life athletics.
To combine the styles of cinematic and live event production, the production team shoots these events using ARRI cameras, as well as RED cameras for slo-mo capture. The feeds are sent to a mini flypack for the live-to-tape line cut, and the cameras also record to cards. The production's main camera is a 50-ft. technojib, followed by two dollies on 30-ft. tracks and long zooms. Also included are an overhead camera angle in the truss on a two-axis head, a lock-off, several other manned hard cameras, and multiple B-roll cameras to capture the various set elements.
The non-fixed cameras are tracked with an optical system, capturing spatial, lens, and focus data for VFX integration in postproduction.
To create the virtual environment surrounding the ring, the production team built a massive green screen and freestanding set elements to merge with the virtual backgrounds.
Strawhand previsualized all of the camera positions prior to the event and then worked with Director of Photography D niel R cz to block out the action. Strawhand and his team also did a full Unreal Engine real-time previz to allow live reference on a second multiviewer.
[R cz and I had] worked on a few shows before, says Strawhand. He has an incredible handle on bringing a fresh eye to coverage. Merging a more cinematic sensibility with action that can literally happen almost anywhere is a bit of a mind-bender, but Danny brings the goods.
The virtual set is based on a concept described as a hybrid of an ancient Cambodian temple and Blade Runner.
The virtual set is based on concept art that Strawhand had worked on with Joe The Artist Guillette. Describing it as a hybrid of an ancient Cambodian temple and Blade Runner, he dressed the set to match the style - even going so far as to put accent lights on bamboo poles.
In terms of the live-production workflow, Strawhand directs the show, an AD initiates the walk-outs and crowd control, and R cz serves as a de facto second director, talking directly to camera. Also on hand is an editor/TD doing a line cut and catching any framing issues for the live-to-tape productions.
In addition to the optical-tracking team onsite, a dedicated Unreal team is on hand to process the real-time previz, and an on-set VFX supervisor is there to red-flag any issues.
The crew of roughly 60 drew on extensive film experience, having worked on numerous effects-heavy Hollywood films and shows (including Terminator: Dark Fate and The Witcher.)
I'd worked with them before, and they were very excited to do something totally new, Strawhand says. Mixing broadcast and film crews can be a little dicey, but, as soon as people see the images, everyone gets on board right away.
He cites his work with renowned boxing/MMA/combat director Rick Beczynski (including a jaw-dropping live event on the observation deck of the World Trade Center) on shows for Karate Combat as instrumental to perfecting the style.
Rick brought in his live crew, and I brought in my film team (including LD Brandon Taylor), Strawhand says. We had to work hard to marry those two worlds: cinematic lighting, dramatic camera moves on cranes and dollies, and 24p film cameras, with the realities of live production. My overall goal is to make live cinema, not just for preroll packages but for the entire event, blurring the line between movies and live broadcast so that people have to question whether or not what they're looking at is real. Adding in virtual-production techniques was the obvious next step.
Serving as commentators are (from left) NFL star Marshawn Lynch, UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, and actor/comedian Bryan Callen.
In terms of the virtual production itself, Strawhand explains, once the gear is up and running, it becomes almost invisible. Seeing the composited images feels very natural and really helps with framing choices. As for compromises, I'm a big fan of haze and dramatic lighting, but the green screen demands that everything be a little more flat, so there are some trade-offs. At the end of the day, a fight is a fight, and you have to focus on the action. Everything else is gravy.
The 12-episode season of Karate Combat airs weekly on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on beIN SPORTS XTRA with an encore presentation on Saturdays at 11 p.m. on beIN SPORTS.
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/10/13/karate-combat-blends-full-conta... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik Discusses 1Q24 On CNBC's "Closing Bell: Overtime"
On April 26, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik joined CNBC's Mor...
27/04/2024
Audinate Adds Major New Features to Dante Connect
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
Bell Media Launches New Portfolio of FAST Channels
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
Study: Broadcast TV Evening News Avoids Serious Economic Issues
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
Hughes Opens Manufacturing Facility and Private 5G Incubation Center in Maryland
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Broadcasting Legend Harry Pappas Dead At 78
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
Televisa Selects Synamedia For Broadcast Distribution Overhaul
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024 0 Comments By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show Brie Clayton April 26, 2024 0 Comments SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Certificate
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Reports Higher Q1 Profits Despite Broadband, Video Losses
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Environmental Groups Aim To Make Unscripted TV More Sustainable
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia Named Weekend Anchor at Telemundo 40 in Texas
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports Kicks Off FAST Channel for UEFA Champions League on Pluto TV
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Brian Roberts's Pay Rose To $35 Million at Comcast
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
John Lithgow Goes Back to School in Art Happens Here'
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
FETV Wants Upfront Buyers Seeking Cable Viewers To Join Its Family
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Catchy Comedy Features Gomer Pyle, USMC' Weekend Marathon
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks off today at Cinpolis
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
Interview: Lourdes Portillo, Director of Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo, La Ofrenda
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Career insights instead of everyday school life
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
L3Harris Technologies Reports Strong First Quarter 2024 Results, Increases 2024 Profitability Guidance
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
What Makes A Network Resilient?
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports Launches New Free Streaming Channel
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Roku Streaming Homes Hit 81.6M
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
Sarah Farrell Named General Manager Of Pinewood Toronto Studios
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and Myriad Solutions
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talent' award
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted Brie Clayton April 26, 2024 0 Comments Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024 0 Comments By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Hi Barbie! Mattel Launching First FAST Channels on Samsung TV Plus
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Marty Moe Named President Of Trusted Media Brands
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard Directs Jim Henson Documentary for Disney Plus
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
Kraken Skate Away From RSN Root Sports for Deals With Tegna, Amazon
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Warner Bros. Discovery Launches Olli First-Party Data Platform
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
The Equalizer' Gets Season 5 on CBS
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW Inks New Deal for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Urging Young Viewers To Vote With Blunt Campaign
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Neil Gaiman's Sandman' Universe Expands With Dead Boy Detectives'
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective opens largest film and TV studio in the heart of London
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages By Matthew Corrigan Publi...
26/04/2024
Richard Perkett joins Amagi as chief product officer
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries ...
26/04/2024
Teradek Announces Smaller More Robust Built-in Antennas f...
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
Amagi Names Richard Perkett Chief Product Officer
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
NAB Board Election Results Announced
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
Mattel to Launch First FAST Channels on Samsung TV Plus
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
NextGen TV Launches In Portland, Maine
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...