The pandemic has moved events to digital. A logical question arose before the business: how to individualize online events, make them spectacular and memorable? The solution was augmented reality technology (XR)
About the authors:
Konstantin Gerasimov, director of the TDS studio Virtual Production, Ivan Nefedkin, founder of multimedia design studio Radugadesign.
The essence of XR
XR (Extended reality is an augmented reality technology that allows you to embody any creative ideas when creating video content. Unlike AR, VR and MR technologies, to view content created in XR, no helmets or VR goggles required. Enough special screens and a set of sound equipment.
XR combines the digital background and real subjects at the time of shooting. Simply put, behind the back of the actor is not a green background (chroma key), but LED screens on which the desired visual environment is broadcast – be it a desert, a green jungle, open space or something else. This is one of the key advantages of the technology: the actors understand the “location” they are in better, and the film crew sees the whole picture in the moment. Production in XR allows you to accurately line up camera plans, change the digital background right on the set and get almost ready-made material at the end of the shooting day.
With the advent of XR, the main focus of content creation has shifted from the post-production stage, when the footage is supplemented in graphic editors, to the pre-production stage, when the graphics are prepared for the day of shooting. This allows companies to create content faster, while spending less money and time editing, editing and reshooting bad shots.
The technical side of the XR
The main tool of virtual production is a 3D engine. It is used to create and manipulate computer graphics in real time. The system of positional tracking is responsible for the seamless combination of the real and digital worlds in one picture. Thanks to it, the virtual background on the screens follows the movement of the cameras: wherever the camera turns, the digital environment adapts to it as if the shooting takes place in a real location. This creates a parallax effect – the illusion of depth and volume of a flat image.
Events at XR
Previously, XR technologies were used mainly in cinema. However, the pandemic has forced companies to hold remote events. The business realized that it was much more difficult to keep the focus of the viewer’s attention online, so they began to look for new ways of visualization. Demand contributed to the spread and development of virtual production and augmented reality technologies, so they began to be actively used in the event industry to create shows and events.
Companies appreciated the large reach, marketing opportunities and independence from a specific location that online provides. Therefore, in the post-COVID era, hybrid events have become popular, combining the advantages of both formats.
The main advantages of XR for events are entertainment and visibility. The technology gives you complete freedom of action, with its help you can create any scenery and quickly change them: transfer the speakers to the moon or immerse the stage under water. Detailed adjustment of lights, shadows and reflections ensures maximum realism and immerses the viewer in a digital environment. Demonstrating a 3D model of a new car in endless space looks more impressive than talking about it in a PowerPoint presentation.
XR becomes part of the customer experience as it allows the brand to create its own narrative and take viewers on a journey through the digital world. This helps to engage the emotional perception of potential buyers and attract interest in the product.
For example, Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello held a immersive TikTok live concert. XR technology brought exotic plants, fireflies and butterflies into the frame, animated cityscapes gave way to hypnotic graphics, and interactive environments transported the singer from vibrant rainforests to a disco dance floor.
XR, among other things, makes the event more visible. The technology allows you to add infographics and digital objects to visualize what the speaker is talking about, as well as remotely connect people in the form of their digital avatars.
The use of XR in the event industry can be seen as one of the manifestations of the global trend towards digitalization. Many brands are interested in the metaverse, but are still not ready to invest in them big money – at least because of low consumer awareness of virtual worlds and the opportunities they provide. XR has become a compromise solution for businesses that satisfies the demand of conservative offline buyers, and at the same time “flirts” with innovative consumers. The demand for technology can be judged by experts’ forecasts: the XR industry can reach $1 trillion by 2030.
XR in our country
In our country, the technology has not yet become widespread. Most companies are ambivalent about XR: they don’t understand how the technology works and what the outcome will be, or they don’t see any obvious benefit from using it. Augmented reality is perceived more as an experiment than as a way to improve the quality of content.
This is due to one of the main problems for business – expensive promotion. Companies are careful to master marketing budgets and use proven methods: speaking against the background of presentation slides and filming with chroma key. However, XR technology pushes the boundaries and demonstrates the progressiveness of the brand, stimulating the interest of buyers. They also reduce content production costs by increasing production speed and reducing post-production.
However, the domestic market already has cases of applying the technology in the entertainment industry. In 2020, MTS organized the MTS Live XR online music festival, where Cream Soda sang in “outer space”, and rapper Feduk “moved” to a fantastic forest. In 2021, Sber, using XR, organized a presentation in honor of the decade of the Okko streaming service.
Obviously, the number of hybrid events will increase as brands gradually begin to understand how the technology works and see a meaningful effect from its use. In the West, the term “XR marketing” has even appeared, which includes marketing activities using augmented reality.