DUBAI, UAE—Dubai-based PLG, a gaming and esports agency here, has deployed a production studio designed around Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 cameras and an ATEM Constellation 8K video production switcher, the Blackmagic Design said this week.
The agency, which works with global consumer brands in fashion, food and retail, was looking for a solution to target youth audiences with branded messaging and a wat to evolve community engagement, it said.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in content creation, with brands turning to us to target the Arabic speaking gaming market in particular through game launches and activations, talk shows and sponsored competitions,” said Arnor Jonsson, product and production director at PLG. “Content for these channels has to be fresh and engaging, so we required an agile solution that could support our growing client roster and their production needs.”
A 108,000-square-foot facility, the new PLG production space is home to a flexible virtual studio with several green-screen and presenter stages, which enable fast turnaround between productions, the company said.
The URSA Broadcast G2s, equipped with a Blackmagic URSA studio viewfinders, capture live video fed via SDI to virtual environments created with Unreal Engine.
“It’s imperative that live and virtual content are stitched together seamlessly in these content packages; both the brands and the gamers watching expect the highest production values,” said Jonsson.
“For a recent competition, we designed a dynamic environment based on the game that players were battling in and placed our presenters and the commentary desk into the heart of the event, all in real time,” he said. “Footage from the studio had to be crisp, with plenty of detail to maintain the authenticity of the presenting team’s segments within the game.”
At the heart of production control is the ATEM Constellation 8K with ATEM 2 M/E advanced panel. The setup provides PLG a means to handle sources in multiple formats and a multi-layered live mix, which incorporates gameplay, statistics, studio content and remote feeds from players across the Middle East and North Africa, Blackmagic said.
The PLG production crew uses the multiple M/Es to reduce latency while the built-in chromakeyer delivers additional blending of studio elements into virtual environments, it said.
“The solution’s modular nature has dramatically simplified how we transition from one production to the next, making it easy to reset studio acquisition for the next show, and then we can quickly upload the graphics and backdrops needed,” said Jonsson. “Major brands already know that the future for their marketing lies in online and gaming platform content, and our facility gives us a huge advantage, not only in terms of speed but also in broadcast grade production values.”
Systems integrator UBMS delivered the studio’s audio, video and graphics solutions as well as provided training, the company said.
More information is available on the Blackmagic Design website.
