DALLAS—NBCLX is on a mission to attract Gen Z viewers by delivering news that provides content and context with in-depth storytelling and even a bit of “fun” thanks to its green-screen stage.
“I knew that we wanted to have virtual sets as part of our studio,” said NBCLX news director Meagan Harris. “A big part of our brand is authenticity. We wanted the network to have a very normal and authentic voice, and we wanted to do some truly fun stuff with the virtual area.”
To achieve its green-screen goals, NBCLX worked with Rocket Surgery, Ross Video’s in-house creative and professional services division, to create various virtual set packages to enhance storytelling.
The studio leverages several Ross solutions, including its Acuity production switcher, XPression graphics platform, Furio camera motion system and AcidCam cameras. For the virtual studio, the news channel is using Lucid Studio and Voyager, Ross Video’s photorealistic graphics rendering solution based on Unreal Engine from Epic Games.
“We want to do things that absolutely grab people’s attention and look different so that people walk past a screen and say ‘Whoa, what’s that?’,” said Tim Carista. “The visuals go along with great storytelling, and that’s what really captures our audience’s imagination.”
Bernt Johannessen, broadcast industry manager at Epic Games, noted that Ross has used Unreal Engine for several years.
“People worldwide are already familiar with the exceptional games created using Unreal Engine, and we’re excited to see Ross using the tech to help realize NBCLX’s mission to inspire and inform a next-generation audience,” said Johannessen.
More information is available on the company’s website.
