SUPER BOWL LIX
SUPER BOWL LIX AR OPEN AND GRAPHICS PACKAGE
Working on the Super Bowl LIX broadcast was a truly unforgettable experience. Our Unreal artists and the Creative Services team at FOX Sports put together one of our most ambitious uses of Augmented Reality to date. We brought the city of New Orleans’ vibrant culture to life by weaving its unique cultural elements into our graphics package. All of these graphics happened in realtime, including our float, which encompassed the entire football field.
I was part of creating a detailed 3D replica of Bourbon Street, which captured the spirit of the city. I also contributed to the technical and design aspects of our AR elements. It’s amazing to think that our work reached 127.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched show in American TV history. I’m so grateful to have been part of it.
Art Director: Gary Hartley
Realtime Team: Michael Adames, Jason Bognacki, Dave Brown, Oscar Carrillo, Juan Cayamcela, Michael DiCola, Hanna Frangiyyeh, Gina Izerel, Susan Largent, Jesse Larson, John Martin, Lauren Peterson, Jason Phipps, Jeremy Puttkammer, James Reed, Alex Seflinger, Chris Watson
Producers: David Kogen, Jim Rodman, LeBraun Robinson, Chris Smith, Danielle Stocki
SET HIGHLIGHT: VIRTUAL BOURBOUN STREET
The beginning of our Augmented Reality (AR) open featured a virtual replica of Bourbon Street. As part of the realtime team at FOX Sports, I was involved in bringing the spirit of the street to life. This involved studying and 3D modeling the entire street, from doors and windows to piping and stucco…and the most fun part…adding the Mardi Gras and team decorations!
BOURBON STREET PROCESS
Using drone footage, we created a 3D scan of Bourbon Street, which our realtime team used as a reference to reconstruct the street. We started with basic shapes and gradually added details like doors, windows, and street signs, aiming for maximum accuracy.
AR FLOAT
The float was one of the most ambitious Augmented Reality (AR) executions that we’ve ever done on a remote broadcast. Yes…this happened live with a skycam on the field! I was involved on the technical side of this float, optimizing various areas to ensure it ran seamlessly.
AR ELEMENTS
Our graphics package also included informational AR spawnables. The designs were inspired by Mardi Gras and the New Orleans spirit. I worked on the technical side of the “Stat Compare” graphic, which was used in a few different ways throughout the broadcast. I handled creating materials, blueprinting the functionality, and testing.
EASTER EGGS...
Every artist needs to sign their artwork, so we dropped an easter egg into the Bourbon set. Can you spot my name?
