Live From the 37th America's Cup: Director of Production Leon Sefton on the Responsibility for Innovation
18/10/2024
Friday, October 18, 2024 - 10:20 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Serving as director of production for TV coverage of an America's Cup is no small feat: you need to not only coordinate production crew and operations at a land-based production-control facility but also keep on top of video and audio signals sent from yachts and chase boats more than 3 km away. Director of production for this year's race, Leon Sefton has served that function for the 36th edition in New Zealand and for the Volvo Ocean Race, Olympic sailing at the 2016 Rio Games, and other races. SVG caught up with Sefton as the racing action was about to begin last weekend in Barcelona.
Director, Production, Leon Sefton (right) and Technical Director Chris Carpenter at the America's Cup in Barcelona
What has been your impression of the technical leaps in the production this year?
This America's Cup, we've tried to take things forward as it's our responsibility as host broadcaster to challenge ourselves as to how to make sailing, as a TV spectacle, more engaging and more understandable. Sailing is a really complex sport for a lot of people, and we have to do our best to try to make it as easy as possible for viewers to follow. That's the challenge which, over the last few Cup cycles, the respective production teams have really taken on.
For example, the America's Cup in San Francisco, delivered a graphics breakthrough bringing augmented-reality graphics to viewers and, for the first time, could create a digital field of play. Suddenly, viewers could see the racecourse and who's ahead. That was a massive leap forward, not just for sailing but also for TV graphics because, up to that point, people playing with the AR graphics were doing it in stadium sports.
Big leaps forward don't come every cycle, but at this America's Cup the big thing has been WindSight IQ, which is making the invisible visible. The genesis of that project was in New Zealand with Brent Russell, our technical director. Brent demonstrated that the technology could work with LiDAR, and, in New Zealand, we did a test and showed that, in theory, we could point a LiDAR out at the course and make a graphical interface that could show the wind. Then we brought in Capgemini for the heavy lifting: they set up three LiDAR stations here that overlap and built the mathematical models to take that data to enable us to create a graphics interface.
We did a test event here in Barcelona and had an interesting moment when we had the concept and brought in the team, all the equipment, and turned on the system. When it came to life and worked, it was a real eureka moment. A lot of us are lifelong sailors so to suddenly see the wind, where the high-pressure areas are, the low-pressure areas are was a massive breakthrough. Bringing that to air was taking our technologies and stacking them on each other.
How so?
It starts with a helicopter and the Shotover camera system, which is a high-quality stabilized broadcast camera shooting the action from the sky. On top of that video, there is optical tracking from Bolt6, whose system has learned the shape of the racecourse, the shape of the race markers, the yachts, our TV-camera boats, the skyline and Barcelona. Bolt6 looks at that and can create an AR field of play. On top of that, we add WindSightIQ and a sailing simulator that can look into the future and lay out what the yachts might do based on the known parameters and performance of the yachts and what the wind is doing. In a way, [fans] sitting at home know even a little bit more than what the sailors know as far as how things will play out. But that was the goal: give people information and engage them. The more information people have the more entertaining it is.
How do you think the use of LiDAR could expand?
Right now, playing with LiDAR, we're working in the two-dimensional. The ultimate goal would be to have multiple LiDARs taking additional slices of the windfield; with a mathematical model, you could turn that into a three-dimensional view of the wind with even more detail - not just speed and direction but also sheer. But, at the moment, we're working in a two-dimensional plane, which has been remarkable because, in the past, the way of collecting wind data was to have physical wind buoys out on the racecourse. To accomplish what we've done with LiDAR, you'd have to have tens of thousands of buoys out there. This is a really elegant technical solution to a very, very complex problem.
Another big advance is the use of a hydrogen-powered camera chase boat. How has that improved the production?
The drive to bring hydrogen foiling chase boats into the event is a nice next step to honestly say we're using clean energy. That's a big deal, but also the speed that the racing now plays out at is so fast in order to keep up with the action, we have to foil as well. So it's not just hydrogen [to be clean], but it's the ability to stand up and foil that has been a massive game-changer for us. Previously, we used displacement catamaran hulls, but, here in Barcelona, because of the proximity to the shoreline, you can get quite aggressive waves. While the AC75 race yachts can cope with that and can stand up and fly above it, it's a big problem to chase them in a camera boat. First, it's very hard on the people and the equipment, but it's also quite dangerous. And having the hydrogen foiling chase boat allows us to keep up with the yachts as they are sometimes doing over a hundred kilometers per hour.
The other th
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/18/live-from-the-37th-americas-cup... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
09/12/2024
Dalet Named an IDC Innovator in Media and Entertainment
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that it has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: ...
27/11/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, the Co-Directors of Sujo
By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
27/11/2024
Dinner and a Movie: Katie Arthurs on Top End Wedding and Breakfast Burritos
The author watching a film with her mother and brother....
27/11/2024
Inside the Archives: Showcasing Sundance Talent in Oz and the Colosseum
Denzel Washington at the Piper-Heidsieck Tribute press conference at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Sandria Miller...
27/11/2024
Spotify Teams Up With UK Charity Youth Music To Support Grassroots Youth Spaces
Over the past decade in the U.K., financial constraints and shifting community resources have put many grassroots music spaces under increasing pressure. There ...
27/11/2024
Are You Wrapped-Ready? First Make Sure Your Spotify App Is Up-to-Date
Wrapped is almost here and Spotify is starting to drop hints at what this year's campaign is all about: the fans. To get ready for the big reveal, Spotify i...
27/11/2024
Find Restaurant Recommendations Based on Your Music Taste With Spotify, American Express, and Resy
Dining out for the vibes? You're not alone. According to Resy's 2024 Ret...
27/11/2024
L3Harris' Lou Speaight is a Finalist at Women in Defence UK Awards 2024
The Women in Defence U.K. awards ceremony celebrates the extraordinary contributions individuals and teams make to Defence....
27/11/2024
Tint Boosts Collaborative Workflows with EditShare Storage Across Gothenburg and Stockholm Facilities
Tint Boosts Collaborative Workflows with EditShare Storage Across Gothenburg and...
27/11/2024
Clear-Com Powers Communication at the 2024 Singapore Airlines Formula 1 Singapore...
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
27/11/2024
Nielsen launches activation with Advanced Audiences, enhancing digital campaign precision, reach and effectiveness across New Zealand
Auckland, November 26, 2024 Nielsen today announced the launch of Advanced Aud...
27/11/2024
Nielsen releases 2024 Food and Beverage Report, covering a decade of data on the sector's ad spend, media trends and consumer shifts in Australia
Report reveals ad spend of 100 occasional food & beverage brands over last 10 ye...
27/11/2024
Lynx Technik Adds Vincent Noyer as Director of Product Marketing
WEITERSTADT, Germany Broadcast TV equipment provider Lynx Technik has named Vincent Noyer as director of product marketing....
27/11/2024
NBCUniversal Works With Walmart to Bring Live Shopping to Live Sports
NEW YORK NBCUniversal and Walmart said they are bringing new shoppable experiences and measurement capabilities to live sports coverage. Kicking off on Thanksgi...
27/11/2024
Deadline extended for submissions to Best in Market 2024 Awards
The awards are open to any company that launched a product/service or brought new upgrades to an existing product/service in 2024 By TVBEurope Staff Publishe...
27/11/2024
Marc Allera to leave BT Group
In a nine year career with BT, Allera played a key role in the development of its joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery, TNT Sports By Matthew Corrigan Pu...
27/11/2024
Ross Video Hopes To BHAG Private Equity With Ambitious Strategy Shift
Ross Video has outlined a shift in its strategic approach and announced a significant financial target for 2030....
27/11/2024
Bending Spoons To Acquire Brightcove for $233 Million
BOSTON Brightcove said it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction valued at about $233 million....
27/11/2024
Transmit, Wurl Partner on FAST Channel Ads
NEW YORK Advanced-advertising solutions provider Transmit and connected-TV tech company Wurl have struck a partnership that will bring Transmit's in-stream ...
27/11/2024
Prime Video Adds More FAST Channels for the Holidays
Amazon's Prime Video continues to bulk up its free, ad-supported streaming TV channels with the launch of holiday-themed channels and other services....
27/11/2024
Sinclair's Chris Ripley Lays Out ATSC 3.0 Challenges, Opportunities
HUNT VALLEY, Md. Earlier this month, Sinclair signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Technology Bombay covering their collaboration on broad...
27/11/2024
Krotos Introduces the Creator Toolkit: Tailored Sound Effects for Content Creators
Krotos Introduces the Creator Toolkit: Tailored Sound Effects for Content Creato...
27/11/2024
First look revealed for third explosive instalment of Sky Original Gangs of London', coming 2025
First look revealed for third explosive instalment of Sky Original Gangs of Lon...
27/11/2024
The Summer Hikaru Died' Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills to Netflix
Back to All News The Summer Hikaru Died' Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills to NetflixPlay Video Play Video Entertainment 27 November 2024 GlobalJapan ...
27/11/2024
Thales Alenia Space to lead Carb-Chaser project, the first French constellation to monitor human-induced CO emissions
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, November 27, 2024 - Thales Alenia Space,...
27/11/2024
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale
Awards on Wednesday 26th February 2025 in Vicar Street, Dublin #rtefolkawards | Tickets via Ticketmaster (link below) Tickets for the 7th RT Radio 1 Folk Awa...
27/11/2024
How RTX AI PCs Unlock AI Agents That Solve Complex Problems Autonomously With Generative AI
Editor's note: This post is part of the AI Decoded series, which demystifies...
26/11/2024
Afghan Reporter Wins Young Journalist of the Year 2024
A woman journalist from Afghanistan has been named Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2024. The journalist, who we are not naming for her ow...
26/11/2024
Audiobook Authors and Publishers Get a New Suite of Tools With the Launch of Spotify for Authors
Spotify's audiobook catalog brings more than 300,000 titles-and counting-to ...
26/11/2024
L3Harris in the UK Achieves Silver ERS Award Status
Jules Ball and Henry Watts, with the award being presented by Brigadier Adam Fraser-Hitchen ADC DL, Deputy Commander of 3rd UK Division....
26/11/2024
Reliable Power for Broadcast Sports Production
Steve ColeFor more than 14 years Steve Cole has been enjoying life in live broadcast, starting as a camera operator and shortly after, adding PTZ/remote camera ...
26/11/2024
Studio Technologies Introduces Model 352A and Model 354A...
Studio Technologies, manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, presents the Model 352A and Model 354A Talk Stations. The units suppo...
26/11/2024
TASCAM Sonicview Recording and Mixing Consoles and SMPTE...
TASCAM, renowned for its versatile and adaptable audio solutions, today announced that its TASCAM Sonicview Digital Mixing Consoles and optional IF-ST2110 Expan...
26/11/2024
Blue Lucy takes on The Americas
London-based media technology business, Blue Lucy, has set up a US division of the company and appointed Dina Behar Hevert as VP Americas. The company's ent...
26/11/2024
Leader Experiences 2024 as Year of Ongoing Innovation in...
The American writer William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, wrote of New York City in the early 1900s that It'll be a great place if they ever fin...
26/11/2024
AGILE CONTENT AND TISCALI TEAM UP TO LAUNCH THE TV SERVIC...
Agile Content joins forces with Tiscali to introduce a new platform in Italy, offering a wide range of premium content for all audiences. Agile Content, a Eur...
26/11/2024
Bulgarian Fund for Women made accessible using SubtitleNE...
For immediate release 26 November 2024, Sofia, Bulgaria Profuz Digital recently sponsored the Bulgarian Fund for Women's 20th Anniversary event by donat...
26/11/2024
Ikegami Sees Accelerating Adoption of IP and Mixed-Format...
Ikegami reports an accelerating migration to high-efficiency IP and mixed-format UHD/HD content creation throughout 2024. Product developments announced during ...
26/11/2024
CVP Announces the Second Belgian Production Technology Sh...
The premier event for cutting-edge production solutions, technologies, and industry insights returns to Brussels. CVP, one of Europe's leading resellers an...
26/11/2024
EMG-Gravity Media to deliver more than 350 hours coverage...
EMG / Gravity Media, a leading force in production and content, media services and facilities, today detailed EMG / Gravity Media's expanding broadcast and ...
26/11/2024
iZotope unveils Cascadia, an intelligent tape delay for clear and present mixes
iZotope unveils Cascadia, an intelligent tape delay for clear and present mixes Brie Clayton November 26, 2024 0 Comments Keep your mixes clear and fo...
26/11/2024
Award Winning Memoir of a Snail Finished in DaVinci Resolve Studio
Award Winning Memoir of a Snail Finished in DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton November 26, 2024 0 Comments DaVinci Resolve Studio used to create uni...
26/11/2024
Ross Video hopes to BHAG private equity with a shift in strategy and ambitious growth plans
Pulling back on innovation and growth doesn't fit the DNA of Ross Video. Pri...
26/11/2024
Bending Spoons dips into enterprise SaaS market with $233 million Brightcove acquisition
Italy-based Bending Spoons suite of digital technology products includes Evernot...
26/11/2024
Nielsen: Fox, Disney Gain Viewing Share in October
NEW YORK In the battle for viewing among the big TV and media players, Fox had a superb October, earning an 8.4% share of total TV viewing in Nielsen's Octo...
26/11/2024
FCC: Jan 1. Deadline to Implement Audio Description Rules in DMAs 101-110
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in TV markets 101 to 110 must implement its new audio de...
26/11/2024
NBC News Now Expands Into Latin America
NEW YORK NBC News Now has expanded its international distribution into Latin America with launches in Mexico and Brazil on Samsung TV Plus....
26/11/2024
Scripps Sets up AI Strategy Team
CINCINNATI In a notable example of a broadcaster turning to artificial intelligence to improve operations and open up new business opportunities, E.W. Scripps h...
26/11/2024
Cablecast Community Media Bids Fond Farewell to Steve Israelsky
Cablecast Community Media Bids Fond Farewell to Steve Israelsky Brie Clayton November 25, 2024 0 Comments Steve sails into retirement following a colo...
26/11/2024
New Games, New Stakes: Squid Game' Season 2 Main Trailer and Key Art Round and Round' Unveiled
Back to All News New Games, New Stakes: Squid Game' Season 2 Main Trailer ...