Despite the coronavirus pandemic still going strong, sports are about to come back, albeit in a totally different way. This weekend, when Major League Baseball returns, there will be no audience in many of the ballparks. But if you're watching at home, you won't be able to tell thanks to computer graphics.
As Variety reports, Fox Sports will fill the seats of Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Nationals Park and Petco Park with CGI audiences. The network will do that for the foreseeable future as it broadcasts baseball.
"We had a vision for making our Major League Baseball broadcasts look as natural as they were before COVID," says Fox Sports's Brad Zager. "A lot of that is having a crowd in the stadium."
The digital crowd will be much better than those cloned fans you see in video games. Producers can make their fake fans do the wave, and they can also react to what's happening in the game. "If it's an 8-to-1 game, the crowd can be thinned out," Zager said.
Watch a sample of what the digital crowd will look like below.
As Variety reports, Fox Sports will fill the seats of Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Nationals Park and Petco Park with CGI audiences. The network will do that for the foreseeable future as it broadcasts baseball.
"We had a vision for making our Major League Baseball broadcasts look as natural as they were before COVID," says Fox Sports's Brad Zager. "A lot of that is having a crowd in the stadium."
The digital crowd will be much better than those cloned fans you see in video games. Producers can make their fake fans do the wave, and they can also react to what's happening in the game. "If it's an 8-to-1 game, the crowd can be thinned out," Zager said.
Watch a sample of what the digital crowd will look like below.
