RTE News comes from Studio 3, one of the smaller production facilities in Donnybrook.

A combination of pre-rendered computer images and live DVE was used to create the illusion of a much greater space for the opening sequence of each bulletin.

The "virtual" elements of the set were rendered using Soft Image software producing a static shot with a "lights up" animation. Studio lighting matched this live.

A green matte area was superimposed over the final animation to allow chromakeying of the live studio.

The Studio elements consisted of Desk, Cyclorama, Ground Row and Floor Covering. These were designed together with the virtual elements using Autocad's 3d facility to align exactly with the final virtual set in studio when the actual camera was positioned relative to the virtual camera.

An extra wide lens (70 degs) was needed to achieve the necessary field of view and the shot was then shrunk via DVE to fit appropriately within the virtual shot (110 degs approx).