Time to add “have your face replaced by a pigeon” to the list of things that can now happen to you if your mug makes it on the video board at the ballpark.
It looks just like a Snapchat filter, but these dog tongues, emojis, and animated hockey masks are developed by Game Changer MVP, a video production company specializing in sports.
The software, called Filter Fan Cam, combines any production’s live camera shots with facial recognition technology and superimposes the animations in real-time, most commonly used on stadium big screens.
“It takes every fan shot and makes it just that much better,” said Matt Coy, Game Changer MVP executive vice president and general manager.
Coy, a veteran producer at major sports teams, enlisted Game Changer’s help with the project while he was running the in-stadium show for the Dallas Cowboys. Now he works for them and Filter Fan Cam is used by more than 80 sports teams including integrations at the X Games and concerts.
MLS team NYCFC enlisted Game Changer to create a pigeon mask based on an unofficial mascot/super-fan. The Philadelphia Eagles used German shepherd heads to leverage the team’s “underdog” playoff campaign after players started wearing Halloween masks.
Shoutout to @NYCFC's in-stadium replace-your-head-with-a-pigeon's-head initiative. I'm glad you're putting @NYCFCPigeon's ideas to good use: pic.twitter.com/oPvphmfgnS
— Nick Chávez (@NickChavezMLS) August 20, 2017
How It Works
Coy boasts that adding Filter Fan Cam to game day doesn’t burden the stadium crew or come with a steep learning curve.
The video board’s technical director cuts the camera shots on the existing production switcher. That clean video feed is sent to a computer with a beefy graphics card running the special software, which applies the animations and outputs the composited feed back to the switcher for display on the main screen.
The facial recognition technology works similarly to the big social media platforms, Coy says. The software looks for signature facial features like eyes, eye brows, nose, and lips. Regardless of how many faces appear in a given camera shot, the software will apply the animations to the four faces with the best matching characteristics.
It still has some trouble with sunglasses, hats, waving hands, and angles, but during a recent Washington Nationals “Pups in the Park” activation, the software successfully applied the filter to a real dog.
Behind the artwork is a standard combination of Maya, Cinema4D, and After Effects – and also Unreal Engine, a dev tool that powers PS4 and Xbox games.
The software itself requires minimal operation while the activation is in progress. Game Changer is selling licenses at around $10,000 per season. As a likely sponsorable asset, Coy thought most teams were easily recouping that cost.
Coy says the research and development is already underway on full-body tracking to turn fans into the likenesses of players and mascots.
Interactive Games
While Filter Fan Cam is Game Changer MVP’s best-selling software product, the company also produces a suite of interactive games, most of which integrate into team apps to leverage fans’ phones.
“Every meeting I was in at teams was all about fan engagement and millennials and how are we attracting fans and keeping them there,” Coy said.
Most of the games are based on traditional stadium activations like shuffles, races, and trivia, usually played by a handful of on-screen contestants.
“Everything every team has done for the last 20, 30 years in-game on their video boards – now you can engage with every fan in the stadium,” Coy said. “You’re living on your phone all the time anyway, so be a part of our show and play along and win a prize.”
SportTechie Takeaway
In 2011, Mark Cuban wrote a scathing blog post that ignited the industry : “The Fan Experience at Sporting Events – We dont need no stinking smartphones!”
“I can’t think of a bigger mistake then trying to integrate smartphones just because you can,” wrote the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. “The last thing I want is someone thinking that its[sic] a good idea to disconnect from the unique elements of a game to look at replays or update their fantasy standings or concentrate on trying to predict what will happen next in the game.
“The fan experience is about looking up, not looking down. If you let them look down, they might as well stay at home, the screen is always going to be better there.”
Cuban’s mostly referring to elements that provide entertainment alternatives during gameplay, but ultimately, he was on the wrong side of history here.
In the past seven years since that post, no stadium has created a fan experience that compelled fans to leave their phones in their pockets. It’s an unwinnable battle – one that Game Changer is exploiting to expand their own business.
Filter Fan Cam is the ultimate irony: It’s a phone-free experience that wouldn’t exist without the inspiration and success of Snapchat, a mobile app.
