dock10, renowned as the UK’s premier television facility, has initiated a collaborative research venture with the University of York. The joint effort focuses on harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to address a significant hurdle faced by virtual studio productions: generating realistic light interactions.
Funded by an embedded R&D grant from XR Network+ and spearheaded by XR Stories at the University of York, the project aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry. It seeks to innovate within the realm of virtual production technologies, especially in scenarios such as live sports broadcasts, game shows, and music performances that utilize multi-camera green screen studios.
A prevalent challenge in such multi-camera setups is the absence of natural light interactions, leading to post-production enhancements to incorporate shadows or reflections for actors placed within computer-generated environments. While single-camera setups have leveraged LED volume techniques for achieving these effects, multi-camera environments demand simultaneous multi-angle captures, making current solutions less viable.
The collaboration between dock10’s virtual studio experts and University of York’s AI research scholars endeavors to pioneer AI-driven tools tailored for real-time applications in virtual studio settings. The ultimate goal is to develop AI-powered compositing solutions that can seamlessly integrate realistic lighting interactions, transforming live or ‘as live’ broadcasts.
Dr. Florian Block, R&D Lead for AI & Immersive at dock10 and a Digital Creativity Reader at the University of York, expressed enthusiasm about the project’s potential. He highlighted the constrained lighting options in current virtual studio setups and emphasized the research’s objective to develop an AI tool ensuring authentic lighting in real-time virtual productions.
Richard Wormwell, Head of Production Innovation at dock10, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the collaborative synergy between dock10’s industry leadership in virtual studios and the University of York’s expertise in digital creativity research. Wormwell underscored the project’s ambition to revolutionize virtual production workflows through innovative AI-driven solutions, anticipating transformative outcomes from the research endeavor.
