TVBEurope talks to the team at The Round, an augmented reality app which will feature an exclusive performance by Liam Payne ahead of Sundays EE British Academy Film Awards
By Jenny Priestley
Published: April 8, 2021
TVBEurope talks to the team at The Round, an augmented reality app which will feature an exclusive performance by Liam Payne ahead of Sunday's EE British Academy Film Awards
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
On Sunday night Liam Payne will open the British Academy Film Awards alongside his digital doppelganger.
But first, fans will be able to see Liam's avatar in a world-first real-time augmented reality mobile experience, created using EE's 5G network. Liam's performance will be recorded live and beamed to fans in the UK on their mobile phones wherever they are via AR app The Round.
Pip Brignall and Thomas Winsor, founders of The Round, developed the app as a way to enable live event producers and creatives to build and distribute their productions using augmented reality, and they describe it as a venue for live holographic performances.
Our background is in theatre, so our in' for immersive tech was very much from a theatre perspective, and we started to explore how virtual reality and augmented reality could be used to enhance that live performative storytelling format, Brignall tells TVBEurope. When we first started working on The Round it really came out of Covid shutting down all the theatres. We realised that a lot of the obstacles that we were facing could be solved by creating this one platform. We wanted to explore ways that dramatic storytelling could evolve into the audience's personal space. They're inviting the drama to them rather than going to it.
data-src=https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Round-726x484.jpg alt= width=422 height=281 data-srcset=https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Round-726x484.jpg 726w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Round-353x235.jpg 353w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Round-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Round-1536x1025.jpg 1536w data-sizes=(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px />Pip Brignall (left) and Thomas Winsor (photo courtesy Anand Vara at V A Photography)The duo were taking part in Digital Catapult's 5G Accelerator Programme, experimenting on how they could utilise that technology to improve the platform and develop it further when the marketing team at EE found them. 5G is a huge part of EE's immediate and future roadmap and they always try to do a big exciting campaign around the BAFTAs and they were looking for something that would be a world first. They got in touch and asked us what would be possible, explains Brignall.
It was quite funny. They saw the video of our prototype and emailed saying they wanted to do that, and we said well that's what we're already doing', adds Winsor.
EE brought Payne on board, and the project developed from there. The AR version of the singer will be kept under wraps until 6.45pm on Sunday evening, but the app is available to download now with an AR holding animation that viewers can use to help them familiarise themselves with the process. Payne will perform exclusively for The Round at 6.45pm on Sunday before taking to the stage alongside his avatar to open the BAFTAs.
The avatar itself has already been created using photogrammetry. We captured Liam's image from every single angle you could imagine in a huge rig, and took lots of photos of his face and then we've turned that into the avatar, explains Winsor.
data-src=https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eebafta-liampaynear5g-726x484.png alt= width=407 height=271 data-srcset=https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eebafta-liampaynear5g-726x484.png 726w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eebafta-liampaynear5g-353x235.png 353w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eebafta-liampaynear5g-768x512.png 768w, https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eebafta-liampaynear5g.png 1333w data-sizes=(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px />The images were then turned into a mesh, which was converted into an avatar and touched up in Maya. We're using really innovative facial capture technology as well so when we were doing the photogrammetry shoot we got Liam to recreate the face shapes that he makes when he's singing, says Brignall. When we were creating his avatar we had ready-made facial positions that we know are similar to what he does, so we then pre-programmed these blend shapes which were from an iPhone just strapped to his head. It tells the avatar that Liam is now doing blend shape number six and the face moves into blend shape number six. It has a series of blend shapes depending on what he's doing. That is all transmitted in real time so that once we've rigged the avatar it moves and behaves in the ways that Liam himself does, his digital face is programmed to make the same facial positions. When it's in real time that information makes the avatar come to life.
A slightly enhanced version of the avatar is being used in the TV performance. There are some limitations at this point as to what level of fidelity you can put an AR avatar into a mobile phone because they have a hard ceiling on what they can process. So we've created an improved' version of the avatar that people will see on the TV broadcast, says Winsor.
Part of the process has also involved Payne pulling on the dreaded mo-cap suit. But Winsor and Brignall say he's been up for anything. We had a very early session with him when we went to our motion capture studio and we got him in a mo-cap suit, and had a play and started loosely blocking i
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
TVBEurope talks to the team at The Round, an augmented reality app which will feature an exclusive performance by Liam Payne ahead of Sundays EE British Academy Film Awards
