News & Press

Vizrt, the leading provider of software-defined visual storytelling for media content creators, announced designer Johannes Skoog as the winner of the first ever Viz Artist in Residence competition.

At the heart of the inaugural Viz Artist in residence program is the firmly held belief that stories are better told when they are brought to life with powerful graphics. Vizrt introduced its Viz Artist in Residence program in April 2021 to recognize, celebrate and support the talented artists producing outstanding media content with Vizrt graphic solutions. More than 70 skilled entrants from all over the globe submitted stunning portfolios to delight, surprise, amuse and above all, challenge our judging panel. Seven finalists were chosen to create original virtual sets for their final round submissions.

The Viz Artist in Residence judging panel featured a mix of broadcast industry heavyweights such as Jonathan Spencer of BBC Wales and Fadi Radi of Al Arabiya, and Vizrt innovators including Gerhard Lang, CTO and Petter Ole Jakobsen, CIO at Vizrt Group.

“Johannes’ design is elegantly minimalistic. The set design allows for a number of different usages and is a very flexible design. The studio enables both anchor and virtual information elements to be the center of a production – as it should be,” said Ole Jakobsen, CIO, Vizrt Group.

Jury member Fadi Radi, Director of Creative at Al Arabiya News Channel added, “Johannes made a design that could go into production tomorrow – and be used for any kind of show.”

In an effort to create a minimalistic, appealing, yet flexible design, Johannes’ channeled his Swedish heritage for set inspiration. “It’s the simple things that make life so beautiful,” Skoog mentioned in this acceptance speech. In all, Skoog is excited to work with Vizrt on the R&D and supplier side and share his experience as a journalist and producer. In his words, “It’s a win-win situation.”

The winning virtual set brought into sharp focus the strength of Vizrt’s market-leading virtual graphics solution, including the following in its design:

• Easy customization for multiple subjects and brands making the repurposing of the assets simple and efficient.
• Photoreal PBR materials, adding incredible levels of realism to the virtual set in a very natural manner.
• Augmented Reality elements to add fresh dimensions to the storytelling.
• Ambient occlusion and global illumination effect to make lighting a rich and vibrant component of the set.
• Real-time shadow & screen space reflection to heighten the sense of realism.
• Data-driven graphics elements to support the delivery of complex information at a lively pace.

Winner: Johannes Skoog, Art Director TV2 Denmark

First Runner Up: Declan Norris Viz Artist, TVNZ, New Zealand

Second Runner Up: Camila Titoneli, Design Manager, wTVision, Brazil