China/Germany - Interest in the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2024) extended far beyond the borders of Europe. Beijing-based programme organisers Hologram Jasmine used Disguise’s virtual production capabilities for CCTV’s Football Connections special telecast series spotlighting the tournament hosted by Germany on 14 June - 14 July.
Hologram Jasmine partnered with Disguise last year on live virtual production broadcasts related to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Building on that relationship and working with a tight production schedule, the Hologram Jasmine team used striking visual effects to attract young viewers for events such as Euro 2024’s opening ceremony, creating an immersive and vibrant atmosphere for the audience.
Powered by Disguise’s virtual production platform, which included a VX 4 media server and RX II render engine, the team were able to achieve seamless and precise 4K scene rendering. Two backup VX 4s and two additional RX IIs further enhanced the process.
With this, the audience was transported from Beijing Live Hall, across Asia to Europe and the beautiful Alps, while experiencing the excitement of the football matches up close - a perfect blend of technology and art.
During the conceptual design phase, asset producer Topchange Digital’s creative team extracted key elements such as a summer, sunset, and modern football and Germanic motifs to express the concept of the Euro 2024. The AI department used Midjourney software to combine Munich landmarks like Marienplatz, the Isar River and Allianz Arena and generate a large number of images as inspiration for the project.
Hologram Jasmine searched Beijing for a virtual studio that met live broadcast requirements and simultaneously satisfied the need for hosts, traffic, on-site lighting, synchronous audio recording and equipment performance. The team also needed to manage the demand for multiple virtual camera positions and decide whether to use NeRF technology for digital twin assets. NeRF technology platforms use AI to capture images in the real world and turn these into virtual environments.
Hologram Jasmine’s technical team located a P2 6 LED studio at YMETA in Shougang Park specifically designed for virtual production and coordinated two Mo-Sys StarTracker tracking devices for the space. They were familiar with traditional programme production processes, and also acquired a Gension tracked jib arm and three Sony HDC-3500 High Dynamic Range cameras as supplementary positions to meet the Programme’s shooting requirements.
The virtual production team consisted of highly experienced producers, directors, cameramen and lighting technicians crucial to the virtual production workflow. The time factor was critical throughout as there were only two weeks to complete the job.
“We are very familiar with Disguise, from offline events and multimedia installations to virtual production, augmented reality and extended reality,” says Hologram Jasmine project producer Zeng Xiao. “Many members of our team have been certified through Disguise’s online courses, including those in the creative department.
“For national and other large-scale events, excellent stability and reliable technical support are always top priorities. Disguise provides a richness of cases and industry standards that allow us to connect teams from different project phases. In addition, Disguise has a very detailed user manual and a highly active community ecosystem.”
Zeng Xiao notes that the opening of Euro 2024 also inspired the Hologram Jasmine team with its future possibilities. “This was not just a live broadcast of a sports event: it was an exploration and practice of future media forms,” Xiao says. Zeng Xiao notes that Hologram Jasmine’s staff and core team come from a very young digital visual creative production agency where virtual production is prioritised as a technical solution in both music live events and an increasingly diverse range of live broadcast projects. Apart from recent collaborations on live sports broadcasts and global gaming events, the team has used virtual production for live openings and gala events at technology film festivals.
Virtual production for commercial advertisements and live music events has even become one of Hologram Jasmine’s business specialties. “We are eager to share our experience with more technologists and creatives and look forward to participating in more challenges. Most importantly, we all appreciated Disguise’s support for the Euro 2024 project. This is the way forward!”
