Cable-suspended camera systems in studio. Unique camera angles with impressive AR in Sky Italia and RTVE

posted:

17/02/2021

Technology for TV Studios is developing at unprecedented speeds. With automation, digitalization, and increasing graphics capabilities studio production is becoming the hottest growing sector in the TV industry. More and more studios are now thinking about adding cable-cameras to their set of production hardware. Compared to a crane, which has more limited movement, a cable-camera offers visuals which are more dynamic and voluminous. New systems specifically designed for studios take up less physical space than a typical crane would. New production requirements are changing quickly (e.g. remote unmanned operation), at the same time there is demand for new types of shots - more interesting, dynamic and innovative. A cable-camera system is one of the best creative tools that can provide all those types of shots.

Movicom, a world-renowned provider of cable camera systems, has invested a lot into making its solutions for studio production ready for the industry’s demands in terms of system automation, graphics integration, and studio-space feasibility. One of the products in the line – Robycam Studio is designed specifically for small area operations with a tight footprint and quick rigging time. The system’s dolly is of reduced size, thus more lightweight and compact, designed to avoid height limitations in cluttered studios. The system's software allows easy integration into most automation systems. As with other products in the family, Robycam Studio allows operators to record and reproduce flight paths of the head and patterns which reduces the number of people needed to run a recorded operation.

Robycam in RTVE Studio, Madrid, Spain

One of the best examples of the Robycam system at work in a studio environment is the long-term cooperation with Sky Italia. For over two years Robycam has been installed in Sky Italia’s new sports studio which launched in August 2018. Since then, many different production teams have successfully embraced the endless possibilities of using graphics and augmented reality to enhance storytelling in partnership with Vizrt and Robycam.

AR graphics with Robycam in Sky Italia studio

The whole idea was to revolutionize the way sports programs are commonly presented to an audience, to mix a typical sports studio with something that is more spectacular, like a concert. For the Studio’s production team graphics is the main tool used to create an identity and present a story. AR emphasizes what is being said and helps viewers understand more clearly what is being analyzed. That is where Robycam’ AR Compass Tracking technology is very useful. It enables driftless positioning of virtual objects, even mapping them to the ground. Also worth mentioning is that during the first wave of the COVID pandemic in Italy, when most of the television industry shutdown, Sky Italia was the only studio running regularly.

AR graphics with Robycam in Sky Italia studio

More recently, TV studio RTVE hired Robycam for the production of its daily show “La Hora de la 1”. The new show is focused on bringing a fresh perspective to present-day conversations using AR graphics as the main narrative technique. A key objective for the editorial team was to transform the look of the communications that are difficult to comprehend in a way that is understandable and useful. Using the built-in Robycam tracking data for live AR the production team is efficiently using real-time graphics provided by Vizrt to give visual explanations to the most complicated topics.