The segment, which used Unreal Engine, does not feature any on-screen talent, but rather a narrator only.

Most of the first portion depicts a series of gritty, almost dystopian industrial areas as the various sources of emissions and greenhouse gasses are explored, as well as the concept of acid rain. The overall feel of these scenes appears to be purposefully designed to almost make the viewer “feel” the pollution levels in a visual sense — thanks to rough, worn textures and visibly dirty air as well as the feeling of being trapped in a type of labyrinth.

The setting then shifts to more traditional neighborhoods to showcase the effect of rising sea levels on humans, including structures, coastal areas and secondary effects such as wildfires.

Throughout the segment, many key facts and figures are displayed in Arabic on-screen, typically rendered in white 3D lettering and placed strategically within the 3D environment, such as on the face of a building or on a ledge.

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In the segment, a 3D domed structure inspired by the league logo is depicted as if it’s a stadium built somewhere in a rocky area of the world, with the spaces between the stars serving as openings, or viewports, to enter the interior of the space.

The segment was rendered using Unreal Engine.

The virtual structure itself is placed in a dramatic setting that also includes the Eiffel Tower sitting next door, a nod to the host country. However, it’s important to note the structure of the stadium being used, Stade de France in Paris, does not resemble the one shown in the explainer.

Here, the Arabic-language segment discusses some key points of the final and its history by using 3D models done in a monument style standing amid virtual rock formations.

These elements include virtual musicians as the UEFA Champions League Anthem is discussed.

In the background of the on-screen presenter, two other rock formations are used as projection “screens” for scenes, while additional rocks serve as perches for 3D models of the trophy along with callouts labeling its weight and height.

The UEFA Champions League is the European-region qualified for the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Project credits

• Creative director: Nebras Hameed
• Graphic team: Ayman Mosbah and Marwan Haridy
• Scriptwriter and presenter: Ahmed Asfour
• Director of photography: Hatem Mostafa
• Music and sound effects: Tarek Gamil
• Production manager: Mohamed atef zakaria

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The network officially turned 40 May 2, 2022 and used the days leading up to it to air a variety of retrospectives, interviews with staffers and stories about the future of weather, climate and technology.

The network is branding its celebration as “The Next 40 Years” with a look that uses its blue square box with a three-sided outline off to the right with the words “The Next” above a large, bold “40” and “Years” under it.

In a somewhat odd design choice, the far left of the numeral “4” appears to have been chopped off, presumably part of an effort to get everything to fit in a narrower space, but sort of ends up looking like a mistake or animation that didn’t quite finish its entire reveal of the number.

View on Giphy

Typography appears to use the same as the network uses in its primary graphics package, leaving the distinctive one in its logo alone in that role.

In keeping with the theme of the future, the network produced both an English and Spanish-language (the latter for its newly launched Spanish-language streamer network) virtual explainer featuring different personalities placed digitally into the same scenes.

Virtual reality was used to create a rendering of what a flood wall barrier protecting New York City might look like, which pulled out to show a sweeping view of Manhattan while data appeared on the front of the structure and a key figure was superimposed on the surface of the water. 

Also included was a farm scene explaining how climate shifts could affect crops in the U.S. and how drones and other technology might help keep plants alive and increase yield, while a street scene was used to illustrate how weather information might be distributed in the future.

This included a large wraparound LED screen that appears to have a 3D effect similar to that virtual Japanese one with an oversized animation of a cat. Although the LED really fronts the two facades of the building, the imagery fed to it makes it appear as if there’s a shelf or cubby there, creating the illusion of an indented, covered and enclosed space.

The scene also points out that weather information will become an increasing important factor in space travel, as a rocket blasts off in the skyline beyond.

The Weather Channel has also been airing a series of promos commemorating its anniversary and special features looking ahead.

In addition, promos that tout the recent YouGov survey that found the network to be the most trusted cable news network in the U.S. have been airing.

The Weather Channel launched in 1982 at a time when cable TV was in its infancy — and many doubted the venture would be successful, including many predicting that the channel wouldn’t be able to find enough content to fill 24 hours a day.

Launched by Landmark Communications, the network also introduced the then cutting edge idea of deploying computer units to local cable headends that could insert computer generated local forecasts based on viewers’ regions, though a national feed was also provided for providers who opted not to participate in the so-called “Local on the 8s” feature. 

These systems typically pulled from National Weather Service data and maps and have gradually grown in visual sophistication, moving away from the 8-bit style look to full HD designs with dynamic advertising, full-motion radar loops and typography that matches the network’s graphics package. The Weather Channel still runs a separate service called WeatherScan that offers computer generated images 24 hours a day.

Landmark would sell to NBCUniversal, Bain Capital and Blackstone Group in 2008. At the time, NBC announced it would shut down its own Weather Plus offering that largely attempted to replicate The Weather Channel model and also encouraged local stations to use the name for their own forecasts and offer a 24 hour channel featuring an L-bar with weather information that framed a mix of national and local video content.

After the purchase, most NBC stations dropped the Weather Plus branding and local stations either shuttered their Weather Plus channels or shifted to using a similar service from a third party vendor. NBC also discontinued the national Weather Plus feed.

The time also saw WXC personalities appear on NBC properties, including MSNBC and CNBC.

In 2016, NBCU sold the non-television components, including key forecasting technology, to IBM, forming The Weather Company. At the same time, The Weather Channel signed a long term deal to license data and other services from the newly-formed IBM business. 

NBC sold The Weather Channel to Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios in 2018 and continues to operate under the IBM deal, including labeling certain properties as “an IBM Business.”

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The segment kicks off with a brief view of a studio, that folds away to transport the presenter to 1832, the year the first rudimentary electric vehicle was built, where a classic vehicle is shown with amber-hued lighting effects that reflect off the mix of matte and metallic surfaces on the 3D model.

A brief overhead view showcases the year “1832” set in oversized metallic numerals laid out on the ground next to the car before fast forwarding to 1888 through the use of one of the vehicle’s headlamps as a transition.

In this scene, the numbers illustrating the year sit beside the vehicle, which morphs, “Transformers”-style, on the screen to a red model and, then, to a 1972 yellow BMW 1602 with gleaming surfaces. 

As the 3D BMW drives out of hanger-style doors, viewers get a brief look at the inside workings of the vehicle before it transforms into a 1976 Volkswagen Electro Golf in green. 

The presenter briefly takes up residence on a billboard with a halftone effect that the vehicle drives by in bright daylight before parking and morphing into a General Motors EV1 in a sporty red.

Here again, the presenter is pictured on a billboard, but switching to a hand-painted style filter. 

The vehicle pulls away and is briefly pictured driving through a dark, dramatic tunnel-like space before it changes, via a peel back effect with a puff of smoke into a 1997 Honda EV Plus, which drives by another billboard featuring the presenter. 

The Honda then crashes through a metallic “2008” as it transforms into a bold red Tesla in a nighttime scene with a dramatically uplit building behind it. 

The Tesla is shown in some highly detailed views along with an image of founder Elon Musk, before the scene pulls back revealing the presenter standing amidst the fleet of the vehicles discussed in the segment.

The segment was designed by Ahmed El Bendari and team under the direction of Fadi Izzaldin.

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Asharq News launches with data-driven graphic systems from Astucemedia

The first one takes a broad look at the military equipment being used between the two countries, while the second focuses on thermobaric weapons or “vacuum bombs” that Russia is allegedly using against Ukraine.

Both segments incorporate elements of Asharq News’ studio set, which is already packed with video wall technology. In the segments, a portion of one of the curved video wall installations is used as the canvas for the background behind the various 3D objects created in Maya for the segment.

Set Design

Asharq News

View a gallery of this project…

The network uses Vizrt to power the virtual storytelling with Stype camera tracking leveraged to control the elements’ positioning.

Asharq is a frequent user of extended reality elements in its reporting and also produces an entire show using a virtual set. 

Asharq launches energy sector-focused program from virtual studio

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The segment started by using a “video on video” shot to capture one of the video walls on Set 2 inside the network’s Studio 5 in Doha, Qatar.

It then transitions to a fully virtual view with the presenter standing inside of a large hanger-like 3D environment that includes a seemingly freestanding glass-like panel that serves to frame the view.

The camera pulls back to reveal a map on the floor of the space with 3D models of military vehicles in the background. 

Meanwhile, small flags sprout up as the presenter explains how various countries’ histories intertwine with the build up of the modern day conflict. The NATO flag also appears but is placed out in the Atlantic Ocean to illustrate that it represents multiple North American and European countries. 

The scene also includes 3D numbers that label the year of key past events. On the map itself, the countries being discussed are highlighted with solids and patterns. 

As the segment continues, additional flags pop up and countries become highlighted, with additional floating panels used to showcase photos of key figures and, in one case, a quote.

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Lead by the network’s executive director of creative Nebras Hameed, the network’s in house design team included graphic manager Mostafa El Zanaty and designers Shady Faried, Ayman Mosbah, Marwan Haridy, Mahmoud Omar and Ismail Tantawy who created the virtual experience using Vizrt.

Editing and sound effects were handled by Tarek Gamil.

Unreal Engine was used for rendering the multiple scenes of the segment, which makes generous use of dramatic music and the sounds of war along with Arabic narration and 3D lettering outlining key facts and figures, most of which uses textures inspired by the natural elements in the scenes. 

While much of the segment depicts military facilities and forces in virtual environments, presenters are also inserted into the segment so that they appear to be standing on a portion of a physical studio set with a riser and video wall background that is used to show additional information.

There are also multiple views of a map of the region and models of artillery, which tend to exist more in a standalone space rather than a military themed scene.

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Marking the one year anniversary of the outage, which left millions without power for days and was triggered by a major winter storm, the February 2022 segment features meteorologist Jordan Steele.

The segment, which was rendered using Unreal Engine, starts out with a few quick cuts previewing scenes from later in the explainer timed to thunder sound effects before showing Steele standing on a dark circle dais in the middle of a virtual neighborhood depicted cloaked in winter weather.

He’s then transported to a virtual map of the United States, standing on a now glowing version of dais centered on Texas, for a bit of explanation of how power grids work in the U.S. 

Other scenes include placing him near a variety of electric supply facilities. There’s also a fiery scene where he briefly mentions how aging power systems can increase the risk of wildfires, particularly in dry areas.

Like many of the network’s similar segments, the explainer also inserts “panels” with key facts and points spelled out.

The segment is particularly effective at exploring how weather affects manmade systems such as power grids not only in Texas but nationwide while also noting some of the risks of climate change.

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The segment followed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement the company would change its name to Meta and invest heavily in the so-called metaverse, a general term for interconnected 3D virtual worlds with a social component.

The segment was created with Vizrt, using its Viz Engine 4 production solution combined with Unreal Engine for rendering.

The segment starts by depicting talent on the network’s set, but then the camera moves to the left revealing an augmented reality “opening” into a virtual world that illustrates one way the metaverse could be depicted, though it’s been designed to include specific storytelling points that explain how esports and ecommerce, among other areas, could be included in the metaverse.

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The segment featured a portion of the real Alhurra set and was produced using Maya. 

The segment was not aired live and included a significant amount of post production work to add detailed visual effects, including a freestanding “cube” of water with a model of the boat floating atop it.

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