![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/main\/files\/2013\/10\/4kbumper.jpg\")
<\/a>The Calgary Flames\u2019 Mark Giordano is featured in a player bumper that uses 4K footage combined with a 3D arena background graphic.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cWe used the time we had during the lockout last year to have the creative-services group start creating and revamping a bunch of those new elements for us,\u201d says Mark Milliere, SVP of production, TSN. \u201cWe have super player bios and super player-matchup bios and some real high-end\u2013looking bumper animations. We launched those in the playoffs and have upped the ante on that going into this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
4K Video and 3D Graphics, Too
\n<\/b>The new graphics look was launched along with TSN\u2019s decision to begin shooting and distributing its NHL telecasts in 16×9 and leaving behind the 4×3 safe window that it had maintained for viewers still watching on SD television sets. This allowed TSN to take advantage of the entire 16×9 window in building its new graphics and font look.<\/p>\n
After debuting the elements during the Playoffs, TSN producers hit the road in early September for a series of preseason shoots with players in order to expand these elements. Beginning in New York City with the player media tour and then continuing on to all seven Canadian NHL cities, TSN producers conducted what Milliere lovingly refers to as \u201cthe carwash\u201d: a two-station carousel in which TSN used a Sony F55 4K camera to capture hero shots of each player and a still camera to take stills of players taking shots and skating, goalies making saves, and so on.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Toronto Maple Leafs\u2019 Phil Kessel in a player bumper<\/p><\/div>\n
The ultra-hi-res Sony F55 shots have been incorporated into TSN\u2019s in-game features, openings, bumpers, and stings to break, as well as its studio shows (That\u2019s Hockey<\/i>, That\u2019s Hockey 2Nite<\/i>, and SportsCentre<\/i>) and promotions. TSN\u2019s mobile units (all provided by Dome Productions) incorporate these elements when packaging presentation elements to enhance the storytelling of the game.<\/p>\n
For the still images, TSN used 3D-camera\u2013calibration software (Maxon’s Cinema 4D software)\u00a0 to re-create the camera\u2019s position, tilt, lens size, and focal length. Producers created a skeletal mesh for each player and projected the still image onto the geometry. TSN can then move the camera in 3D space, creating the Matrix<\/i>-style illusion of action suspended in time. These elements were then integrated into a 3D-style arena environment, and the scenes were edited together to create the final bumper for the telecast.<\/p>\n The Scotiabank credit-card image has been built into TSN\u2019s player-bio cards.<\/p><\/div>\n More than 5,000 images were created, with the cream of the crop incorporated into a computer-generated background and into individual players\/stars\u2019 profile graphics. These also will be incorporated throughout all of TSN\u2019s NHL studio shows.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are using all these elements throughout our openings, promos, and bumpers going to break,\u201d says Milliere. \u201cIt helps tell the story of the game and takes everything up to a whole other level.\u201d<\/p>\n Scotiabank Cards Take the Ice The Scotiabank credit card has also been integrated into player-matchup elements.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWe got pretty creative with Scotiabank,\u201d says Milliere. \u201cRather than just slapping flat titling onto goalie matchups and other boards, they really wanted us to integrate them [into the telecast], and the creative team did a fantastic job. They have a Visa [card] that features all the team logos, so we took the credit-card look and actually incorporated it with its logos into those goalie matchups and individual player bios. I think it really adds to the package rather than taking away.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s Hockey<\/i><\/b> Taps Troika Design \u201cBecause it\u2019s a show out there every day, we wanted it to look super high-end,\u201d says Milliere. \u201cWe have a very good relationship with Troika. We worked with them over about six months developing the package and are thrilled to launch it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Canada, the three hockey-less months of the NHL off-season feel like an eternity. But, last year, when three months were turned into seven by the prolonged lockout, NHL fans […]\n More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1144,4655,97,151,7702,4051],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sportsvideo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>
\n<\/b>TSN has also worked to integrate its sponsors into its graphics elements this year, most notably incorporating title sponsor images of Scotiabank\u2019s team-oriented credit card into player bios and goalie matchups.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n<\/b>The in-game package isn\u2019t the only new look for TSN\u2019s NHL coverage. That\u2019s Hockey<\/i>, the network\u2019s half-hour daily hockey newsmagazine show, enlisted Troika Design to totally redesign its graphics and animations package in the offseason. Troika is also responsible for TSN\u2019s SportsCentre<\/i> graphics package.<\/b><\/p>\n