Virtual showroom challenge

One creative area that advanced rapidly during the pandemic was virtual tours. The technology was there before the pandemic but was only utilised by the real estate industry. This technology is not “new” by any means. Advancements in lidar technology made the virtual tour experience more realistic and accurate than ever before.

For this particular virtual showroom, we wanted to showcase figure skating costume designer Charlene Bailey’s work on ice.

We opted to capture her designs in a practice rink so production could be done in a shorter time frame and we would have more control over the space, as opposed to a full-size skating rink.

For lighting, we selected broncolor LED F160 and Move 1200 L with MobiLED. broncolor is the preferred choice because of its high true colour rendering index (CRI) of 97+ which produces accurate colours and skin tones on both garments and skaters.

These LED lights are flicker free which allows us to setup only once for 3D, photo and video production. broncolor lamps share the same light modifiers for both photo and video which keeps production costs lower and simplifies setups. One light does do it all.

LED F160 is powerful at 160 W (600 W tungsten equivalent). Colour temperature can be adjusted from 2800 to 6800 K. This is crucial because some virtual capturing devices have no Kelvin temperature adjustment and correcting in post processing is not always feasible due to time constraints. Therefore, everything needed to look right in the camera during the capture process.

The LED F160 can be powered by an optional lithium battery. This entire setup is lightweight and can be mounted entirely on one stand. By removing cords and cables from ice level, there is no tripping hazard so the skaters can move freely on ice. This also ensures on-set safety for the crew plus the set can be setup and torn down faster, which also reduces production time.

We managed to complete the entire shoot from setup, virtual tour capture, photo, video and load out in under 5 hours. A complete capture of the practice rink with figure skaters in bespoke costume for the virtual tour was fully customized with colour, menu and point of interest tags in place throughout the space. The tour also features a behind the scenes video where viewers can see the lighting setup: how the skaters were lit with each modifier and how each piece of equipment was used in production with full text description and links to regional retailers with rental information.

The final production, with 3D rendering, information tags and video production was completed in a few weeks. Thanks to the consistency of the broncolor LED lighting, post-production colour grading of stills, video and 3D renders were minimal. Other LED lamps, with less accurate colour outputs, would have made these tasks far more difficult to match each light and each skater. The homogeneous quality of the broncolor lighting, while more of an up-front investment, saved hundreds of hours of post-production time.

The end result was threefold. A virtual showroom was created that can be used to show the skills and abilities of the figure skaters. A separate virtual showroom is available for Charlene Bailey’s “cb” line of figure skating clothing. Product tags and links to her sales platform allow potential customers to inspect the outfits from all angles while learning more about each design and each product. A third virtual showroom was created for broncolor – showing the products used and allowing customers to not only see the lights but also see them in use. The quality of each light is apparent as you fly around the space.

This couldn’t be possible without the help and dedication of our entire team, but it all starts with the creative genius behind the clothing and design, Charlene Bailey of CB Design @cb_official.

Huge thanks to our incredible skaters, who braved the cold whilst not moving!

Gladys Orozco @gladys_orozco

Amanda Tobin @amandatobinn

Matthew Markell @matt_skating

Michelle Long @themichellelong

Production team

Silistudio Sam Tsang, Silvia Li @silistudio

Videographer / Digital tech / Video editor

Jake Wagler @jacob.wagler

Lighting assistants

Brian Simon @tarsipix

Samuel Lee @mediadistrictca

Lighting

Will Prentice, broncolor Canada

Link to the Showroom: 3D Showroom

YouTube direct link: broncolor 3D Showroom – YouTube