La CCMA grabará la ópera 'Roméo et Juliette' desde el Gran Teatre del Liceu con audio y vídeo inmersivos 360º

The recording, in which the UAB, I2CAT and Liceu itself collaborate, will take place on February 10, during the general trial of this opera by Charles Gounod, and is part of the Immersive Accessibility project (IMAC), financed by the Research and Innovation Program of the European Union Horitó 2020.

Within the project Immersive Accessibility, the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media (CCMA), in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Foundation i2Cat, and the active participation of Gran Teatre del Liceuwill record the opera Romeo and Juliet In the Liceu in Barcelona in immersive audio and video format 360º.

The goal is to create an interactive product, in which the viewer can choose between classical television and parallel visualization from different immersive views, which will teleport it to different points, on the stage.

The recording will also serve to test - within the H2020 IMAC project (IMMERSIVE ACCESSIBILITY) - of the Users -defined accessibility requirements, such as subtitulation and audio -description in immersive environments. Before the recording, an intense preparation work has been done to define technological intervention and obtain an interesting recording, which highlights both technological challenges and image and sound recording, as well as the realization of the omnidirectional video in live show recordings.

Shakespeare's work Romeo and Julieta It is the most famous love story of literature, and Charles Gounod, one of the great representatives of the French lyric drama, made it a very faithful opera to the original tragedy.

The opera Romeo and Juliet Go back to the Liceu Great Teatre stage after 32 years of absence, and do so directed by Josep Pons, co -starring Saimir Pirgu and Aida Garifullina, and in co -production with The Santa Fe Opera. The assembly of Stephen Lawless places the original action in the context of the United States Civil War (1861-1865). Lovers live in a classic mortuary framework, as a prefiguration that will fatally condition their destiny from the beginning of their falling in love.

Proyecto Immersive Accessibility (ImAc)

The project Immersive Accessibility, which began in October, Explore new methods of implementation of accessibility services (Subtitles, Audio -description, Audio and Subtitles, Sign Language and Accessible Interfaces) in Immersive 360º video environments. The project wants to move away from the limitations of current technology, in an environment in which the consumer can completely customize the experience to meet their personal needs.

The key action in IMAC will be to ensure that experiences immersive are inclusive in several languages, according to the needs of those users with hearing and low vision problems, learning and age difficulties. These services are also intended for a broader audience, their content can provide significant value in areas such as user comfort, language learning or linguistic therapy.

IMAC design is centered on the user. The project has a duration of 30 months. The first three are destined to understand the needs of end users in relation to accessibility services in immersive media, with the collaboration of working groups that include end users and professionals of the production and distribution of accessibility content.

The first working group focused on the Audio descriptionn of immersive content and had the collaboration of six users with visual disabilities and low vision, and also of audio -description production professionals. The second working group focused on the subtitles And the sign language, and its task served to introduce the debate on accessibility through subtitulation and the tongue of signs in immersive environments. A total of fourteen users, among which there were deaf signnates, deaf with and without cochlear implementation, and professionals of the production, management and distribution of accessible content discussed and made proposals on how to focus accessibility on immersive content 360º.

The Immersive Accessibility project, led by the I2Cat Catalan Research Center, has the participation of the CCMA, the UAB, Anglatècnic, the University of Salford, the German television network Rundfunk Berlin-Brandeburg (RBB), the Institut Für Rundfunktechnik GmbH (IRT), Motion Spell and RNIB.