Stage Precision calibration system is stadium gamechanger

The Famous Group has harnessed the power of Stage Precision’s SP software to control virtual production at the home of American football team the Carolina Panthers.

The virtual-event production company is using the SP’s camera calibration tools to control mixed reality (MR) elements at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, such as a giant panther that appears to scale the stadium and stalk opposing team players during matches.

Erik Beaumont, head of mixed reality at The Famous Group, says: “We’ve been working with the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC at the Bank of America Stadium since 2022. Unlike other projects, our work with these teams is ongoing, with MR being used permanently.

“The MR panther has become an important part of games for the Carolina Panthers, but the need to recalibrate the system before every match was becoming a challenge, in terms of resources and peoplepower.”

Before switching to SP, The Famous Group was using stYpe camera tracking, fed directly into Pixotope calibration software to manage the MR elements of the productions. “This was very hands-on, and a task that needed to be repeated every game,” says Beaumont.

“We had trained the stadium’s in-house team to do this, but our team still needed to return for frequent readjustments as things happen and cameras get moved. This was not ideal – we needed a long-term solution.”

Using SP’s calibration tools, The Famous Group was able to set up an alignment system that the average user can calibrate. “We have used the calibration tools in SP to create a system that is calibrated against the in-stadium calibration board,” says Beaumont.

“Simply put, the camera team puts a video board graphic on the screen that can recalibrate the cameras through a simple scan of the video boards. This successfully recalibrates the system to a high-precision level.”

Although the initial set-up required The Famous Group’s expertise, the in-house team now has control over the virtual production system. The workflow takes in stYpe camera data and sends it directly to SP. The calibrated data then goes into Pixotope, which outputs the MR content.

The project represents a step forward for permanent virtual production installations. “This is a huge milestone for us that makes a lot of other permanent install projects viable,” says Beaumont. “Our on-site support requirements are minimised, and in-house teams benefit from more control of their own productions.

“This workflow can be transferred to any stadium and for all kinds of events. As long as there are video boards and cameras, it’s just a case of figuring out the content.”