Augmented reality and special filming supports for the Lega Basket Serie A event thanks to EMG Italy

The Frecciarossa Final Eight was held from February 14 to 18, 2024. This event awards the Italian Cup and involves the top eight teams qualified at the end of the first round of the Serie A basketball championship. The winner of the tournament was Generazione Vincente Napoli Basket, which won its third Italian Cup by defeating Olimpia Milano in the final with a score of 77-72.

The event, held once again at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, was a great success with the public, with over 40,000 spectators and a series of side events such as concerts, exhibitions and food tastings that enriched the five days of sport. This confirmed the importance of the event itself both for the city of Turin and for all of Italian basketball.

TV production

The success of the event demonstrated the great passion for basketball in Italy and confirmed Turin's ability to host major sporting events.

EMG Italy, commissioned by LBA for the television production, contributed to underlining the spectacular nature of the entire event. They managed the filming and the generation of the international feed for all the men's matches, the Final Eight, and also for the women's teams, the Final Four. The women's competitions were played on the day when the men's teams were not playing, Friday, February 16. All the finals, both men's and women's, were played on Sunday, February 18.

The production of the event, considered very important by the Lega Basket, required two days of set-up, with all the matches broadcast live on Dazn and on the channels of the Warner Bros. Discovery group (Eurosport and free-to-air Dmax and Nove), the rights holders. EMG Italy, therefore, decided together with LBA to put in place a major production structure with some special filming support, starting with a Robycam, which was used in all the matches and not only in the finals.

Special filming

"This is the first time a Robycam has been used in basketball," says Anna Pasculli, Sales Manager of EMG Italy. "The cables were stretched in an "X" shape at the four highest corners of the PalaOlimpico. The broadcast-class camera that ran on these cables, in addition to following the game action from this very spectacular, privileged and elevated position, provided overhead shots of the arena packed with fans and several replays. We started from the consideration that the use of aerial cameras allows us to obtain spectacular images and to greatly enrich the viewing experience for the public. 
Suspended on a system of trolleys and cables, the camera offers stable and precise shots and can reach otherwise inaccessible shooting points, giving the public a unique perspective of the event and fully restoring the dynamics of the action as a whole."

There were also other shots that the director, Max Ceriani, proposed with unique perspectives on dunks and three-pointers from above, always underlining the emotions of the players and the public.

"With a proven experience in the use of innovative technologies," Anna Pasculli continues, "we at EMG Italy were the production hub for this great basketball television show. We brought in technical equipment and a specialized crew, and we generated all the filming and television feeds for all the takers, starting from the international host feed for the Lega Basket Serie A, and also the integrations, or unilateral customizations, created for Warner Bros. Discovery and for Dazn on the occasion of the final."

Technical setup

The Orion 209 mobile regia worked in Turin, alongside another smaller mobile unit for the customization of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The 12 broadcast-class cameras used throughout the event were positioned in such a way as not to miss even a single detail of the game or the reactions of the public: 1 and 2 on the upper stands, as usual, used to follow the long shots and details; 3, 4, and 5 on the sidelines; 10 on the shoulder on the opposite side to cover the benches; 11 and 12 above the backboards, 8 and 9 in radio frequency, of which one was a steady cam and one a gimbal on the sidelines with freedom of movement; 7 on the Robycam, while 6 was on a jimmy jib placed vertically above the basket. For the integration, Dazn set up a position on the sidelines for Diletta Leotta, Dazn's face and master of ceremony for the final.

A step forward in the television language of basketball

The Final Eight of the Italian Basketball Cup in Turin, therefore, was not only a great sporting event, but also a moment of innovation in the television language applied to basketball. A further strength of this edition was the use of Augmented Reality in the final - and for the first time ever in Italian basketball - applied to the shots from above of the Robycam.

In fact, the players' cards with their scoring statistics, the team lineups, the scoreboard of the event and the results of the matches were all shown, personalized with the sponsorships. 
In addition, a special visualization of the shooting and scoring statistics from different positions on the field was developed, as well as a special 3D model of the Italian Cup.

Augmented Reality, developed by the graphics department of EMG Italy, which curated all the live graphics of the event, has therefore shown all its remarkable expressive possibilities even in basketball. With the right creative development, it is in fact possible to enhance the spectacular nature of the images and capture the attention of the public. 
Starting from a style similar to that of gaming, statistical data can be conveyed in an increasingly immersive way, with a style that particularly appeals to the new generations.

The high quality of the television production and the use of Augmented Reality that viewers were able to enjoy from home contributed to making the Final Eight of the Italian Cup a very successful event.

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© 2024 EMG Italy – Presspool PressOffice RobertoLandini