Virtual Harmony: Alter Ego’s Real-Time Avatars

Alter Ego is a brand new singing competition currently airing on Fox. Instead of the performers appearing physically, a combination of advanced performance capture technology and AR tools allows the performers to drive the movement of their digital avatars on stage in real-time. In this presentation, Silver Spoon MD Dan Pack will share how the dynamic partnership between Silver Spoon and lulu brought the show’s vision to life. Stepping into new creative territory, together they designed a workflow that sets a new benchmark for live virtual production. Working closely with Fox, Silver Spoon crafted the look of these digital stars, translating initial sketches into fully functional and real-time ready 3D avatars, each with a wardrobe of unique costumes, while lulu also handled the real-time AR compositing, virtual lighting and triggering character FX and transitions on stage. Part of the process included developing innovative special effects such as the ability to cry, blush, and even sweat in real-time. From start to finish, the production pushed an unprecedented and greatly accelerated timeline, building 22 avatars and recording over 65 avatar performances in just a matter of weeks, rather than months. Join Dan as he shares his insight into the process behind the avatar creation along with thoughts on where this innovative technology might take us next - both in the world of broadcast entertainment and beyond into the metaverse.