REALTIME puts viewers right amongst the action

REALTIME puts viewers right amongst the action – Visual effects specialists REALTIME are experienced in creating a wide variety of VFX, from animation through to CGI asset building, 2D matte painting and set extensions.

Based in the North West of England, REALTIME focuses on the gaming, automotive and broadcast industries where its highly skilled team are known for going the extra mile to create cutting edge content capable of transporting the viewer.

REALTIME recently announced that it had joined forces with Verizon Media and RYOT, for their keynote presentation at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity:  High Performance to Hyper Creativity—Sport’s Love Affair with Emerging Technology. Using a combination of virtual production, LED screens, Unreal Engine 4 and an XR stage, the successful project enabled Verizon Media’s CEO, Guru Gowrappen, to remotely interview Fernando Alonso, Race Driver of Alpine F1 Team, and Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine.

During the presentation, REALTIME’s Virtual Production technology allowed viewers to be transported to environments including the Monaco racetrack and alpine mountains.

EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST INDUSTRY NEWS Q&A

In an exclusive Q&A follow-up, Media Technology News caught up with REALTIME Client Services Director, Paul McSweeney, to ask how REALTIME harnessed the power of new technologies to unlock a whole new space for creative storytelling.

“The space that is unlocked is the one right in amongst the action, on the pitch, in the pits or on the track. XR enables the viewer to be fully immersed in the event itself but can then be presented with analysis in real-time too, to really get a handle on everything that’s going on.” McSweeney said.

REALTIME has established its reputation in delivering the best in visual fidelity for all its clients, such that the viewer just believes. The biggest challenge has been to combine this leading fidelity with the need to run 3D assets in real-time, at high frame rates of between 30 and 50 frames per second, but as the Unreal Engine is progressing so quickly and as the speed and performance of graphics cards is also accelerating so fast – it won’t be long before this challenge is completely removed.

“We will always strive to deliver the very best in visual fidelity. Our professional standards don’t allow for anything less.” Added McSweeney. “We have a great mix of talent within our automotive, games and TV VFX teams that all come together to make this happen.”

Virtual production is usually significantly cheaper on a like-for-like basis, but the real benefit is in the flexibility to deliver any style, any location, any time of day, any weather conditions and any character or object.

The appetite for virtual event counterparts has been accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – with emerging technologies helping to cater for the increased demand for online events within sport.

“Definitely.” – McSweeney’s response when asked to look beyond COVID and consider whether virtual production was here to stay;

“The lines between live action and virtual production are more blurred than ever. The one will work with the other to deliver ever more stunning and engaging results.”

REALTIME has expanded its team by 60% in the last 12 months alone, with an equal focus on technical and artistic capabilities.

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