Alter Ego relies on 14 cameras, eight of which use advanced camera-tracking technologies, to capture singers as CGI avatars

Rolling Stone

"Above our heads, thousands of Infrared Reflective (IR) markers — one-inch-by-one-inch silver squares that, essentially, create a map for these cameras — twinkle like a mini galaxy," says Rolling Stone's Samantha Hissong of her set visit to Fox's new reality singing competition. "The smart cameras then communicate with Unreal Engine, a video-game design software, to render the avatars in real time. (A company called Silver Spoon, which was responsible for creating virtual crowds for Major League Baseball in 2020, designed the 3D models in advance with creative input from the contestants. An augmented reality company called Lulu helped with the stage-plotting.) Avatar data — things like eye color, height, and special effects — motion-capture data, lighting data, and camera data all meet in a hub of servers next to the mini stage behind the actual stage." ALSO: Alter Ego is the most dystopian reality competition yet.