The latest edition of the world’s largest e-sports championship, Dota 2’s The International 2022, was held in Singapore at the end of last year and attracted 67.74 million hours of worldwide viewing. Singapore-based system integration company, Cgangs International Pte Ltd, partnered with the games’ developer, Valve, to create a Brompton Technology-powered virtual production set, used during the filming of the opening video and teaser campaign featuring the top four participating teams.
Cgangs was introduced to Valve via esports tournament organiser PGL to provide its virtual production services for the event.
“Our primary objective was to construct a temporary virtual production setup for Valve’s pre-match and opening campaign,” said Cgangs’ director of strategic partnerships & business development, Alvin Lim. “These were used for online broadcasts and livestreams of the tournament to introduce the teams and players to the audience.”
With just a day to capture all the footage, Alvin Lim and the Cgangs crew needed seamless operation. “Valve personnel visited the set to inspect it and finalise the content before we began filming the players in front of the LED screen,” continues Alvin Lim. “We had to guarantee that every aspect of our LED setup was functioning optimally to meet the tight schedule.”
The stage comprised a straight, in-camera wall of ROE DM2.6 LED panels measuring 10 x 4 metres, plus a small 5 x 3 metre roof comprising ROE DM2.6. The entire setup was powered by three Tessera S8 LED processors and Brompton’s 4K LED processor.
“We selected Brompton Tessera because it’s the gold standard in LED processing,” said Lim. “It was crucial for us to incorporate the best available technology in our virtual production stage. The Tessera S8’s advanced features, such as Genlock with Phase Offset and ShutterSync®, allowed us to control the appearance of the LED on camera. We also took full advantage of the Tessera software’s comprehensive colour correction and control tools, which allowed us to effortlessly match, adjust, or fine-tune colours to meet our desire.”
The client was pleased with the results for Valve’s first experience recording with virtual production. “The project’s success was attributed to clear and precise communication between the director and our technical production team,” Lim remarked. “With a clear understanding of the director’s vision, we were able to conduct pre-planning and setup accordingly. The rehearsal and recording day went smoothly and we even completed the shoot ahead of schedule, much to the delight of Valve’s team as this was the first time they had finished a production on time! The exceptional quality of our ROE LED screens, coupled with Brompton Technology as our technical partner, ensured that everything was executed to perfection.”
“We are thrilled that our Tessera S8 LED processors were utilised to bring Valve’s vision to life in the teaser and introduction videos that Cgangs expertly delivered,” concluded Luke Hurford, regional technical manager for Asia Pacific at Brompton Technology. “We look forward to further turn-key virtual production projects with Cgangs going forward.”
