Global Montreal's new virtual set debuted Monday
There wasn't much fanfare. In fact, it wasn't even explicitly mentioned during the first night. But it would have been hard to miss that Global Montreal's newscast has a new look, thanks to a new set.
Unlike CFCF, which needed to build a new set from scratch, CKMI's set is entirely virtual, with anchors sitting at a desk in an all-green room. So while it wasn't quite as easy as flipping a switch (there were complications in planning that pushed back the launch date), all the changes are in a computer's memory.
Above you see anchor Jamie Orchard in the new set. She's the only thing real there. The floor, the windows, the pillar, all have been added digitally through chroma key (a bit more advanced than your usual green screen because the camera's movements are synchronized with the computer changing the perspective of the digital background).
The background cityscape is the work of Gazette photographer Phil Carpenter. He'll also be doing a daytime version for use during the summer when it's daylight at 6pm.
The top of the newscast features graphics that fade in behind the anchor
Having a digital set has its advantages, like cool effects. One involves still images fading into place behind the anchor, covering up the city skyline.
There's also the fact that the set can seem much bigger than it actually is. That has led some to go a bit overboard with perspective. I'll leave it to you to decide if Global has gone too far here, or if the fantasy-studio-on-the-waterfront look works.
For the sake of comparison with the previous set, here's a few before-and-after shots:
