Blackmagic Design announced that Dubai based gaming and esports agency PLG has developed a production studio designed around the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 camera and ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher.
The studio’s audio, video and graphics solution was delivered with the support of systems integrator UBMS, which also provided product training and workflow consultancy.
PLG is the leading gaming and esports agency in the Middle East and North Africa and works with global consumer brands across fashion, food and retail that are looking to target youth audiences through branded content to evolve community engagement.
“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,” explains Arnor Jonsson, product and production director, 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.”
PLG’s 10,000 square meter facility houses a flexible virtual studio with multiple green screen and presenter stages, which allows an incredibly quick turnaround between productions.
Action in the studio is captured on multiple URSA Broadcast G2s, each equipped with a Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder, and the live signals are fed over SDI into 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,” Jonsson continues.
The ATEM Constellation 8K with ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel form the hub of the production gallery, allowing the PLG team to handle sources in multiple formats, as well as delivering multilayered live mixes which incorporate gameplay, statistics, studio content and remote feeds from players across the region. The team also relies upon the switcher’s multiple M/Es to reduce latency while the inbuilt chroma keyer is used to further blend the studio elements into the virtual environment.
Since its launch, the studio has been in almost constant use, with Jonsson revealing that its flexibility in both the live and virtual components has facilitated an incredible work rate.
“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,” he concludes. “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.”
