Virtual Weather: A Tour of The Weather Channel's New Cutting-Edge Studio

The network39s Senior Director of Weather Presentation and Meteorologist Mike Chesterfield is quick to credit the entrepreneurial and collaborative culture at The Weather Channel in embracing and moving forward with a significant investment of both time and financial resources into the IMR Studio Says Chesterfield quotOnce we explained what we were going after to enhance the consumer experience the editorial leadership saw the possibilities and not only bought in but helped to lead the chargequotChesterfield notes that part of the raison d39amp234tre of The Weather Channel is to tell the future yet as he points out quotthere is no video for the future We can use this technology to actually present the weather and show what it will look like in the futurequotThe studio consists of an exceptionally large green screen space with several cameras including a Technocrane camera that is hooked up to a tracking system which allows the simultaneous capture and integration of the virtual studio and the talent Multiple computer systems quotdo all the hard workquot and a staff of design experts work on the graphics dailySeveral criteria were instrumental in determining which technology and what best practices would be in place to deliver the optimal realism and engagement with the viewer quotFirst and foremost the graphics need to feel and look as real as possible That39s the only way the audience is going to buyinquot said Chesterfield quotHaving the graphical capabilities of the Unreal Engine and being able to integrate that to build out our studio was incredibly important From a workflow process and production end we looked at technologies that we could bring inhouse that would allow us to produce television on a day to day basis in a different way that would fit into our workflowquotWorking with volumetric video and augmented reality in real time presents a completely new level of choreography for meteorologists who are accustomed to standing in one place Now they are walking around the perimeter of a hurricane or around a snow drift Says Chesterfield quotWe work with everybody from the director to the camera operators to the talent It39s not just the individual talent knowing exactly where to stand but it39s also the positioning of the camera to get the shot we want Where can the talent walk Where can they not walk so we don39t break the illusions that we have set There is a lot of preplanning and postproduction that takes place but the talent has really absorbed it and has reacted really well to itquotMost importantly consumers are expressing their satisfaction with this new type of weather storytelling Chesterfield shares that quotthe feedback through social media has been eyeopening everything from when we do our storm surge effect explainers during hurricanes to putting our talent in the virtual studio up against jumbo monitors that just wouldn39t exist in the physical studio space the audience sees how cool it looks but they also tell us that they finally understand a topic which tells us we are doing something rightquotWith both the positive reaction from consumers and the eyepopping visuals that the studio produces advertisers have started to take notice quotWe have the ability to bring up virtual monitors and show branding in a traditional way but we also have nontraditional ways where we are able to integrate branding and sponsorship into background images or into the environment itself In our Cityscape environment we have billboards If you are looking for a subtle way to promote something that39s one way we can do it Brand sponsorships and integrations are definitely where we see the trajectory in the near futurequotWhat39s next on the roadmap for the IMR Studio quotThe truly amazing advantage of the virtual studio is you can bend reality You can do things that are just not possible in the physical worldquot Chesterfield stated quotIn the coming weeks we are going to be able to provide virtual views of cities across the country where we39ll actually be able to integrate a talent into these 360degree images and place them in an environment which will actually show what the weather conditions are going to look like without even leaving the buildingquotWhile the current IMR Studio is producing for the 2D TV space the renewed growth of VR through the success of Oculus coupled with the anticipated release over the next 1224 months of AR hardware from Snap Apple and Facebook ensure that The Weather Channel39s commitment to innovation will have them wellprepared As a content producer Chesterfield shares quotit is really exciting because it opens the door to all types of possibilities for new areas of storytelling and it allows us to invite the audience in for different experiencesquotWith the investment and talent that The Weather Channel has put into their IMR Studio the forecast is clearly sunny with more than a chance of innovationSee the inside of The Weather Channel39s new IMR Studio belowClick the 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Virtual Weather: A Tour of The Weather Channel's New Cutting-Edge Studio

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Jeff Minsky

Simon Applebaum

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