In common with many industries, TV and video production is likely to be
transformed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), with
software and algorithms assisting production tasks that, conventionally,
could only be carried out by people. Expanded coverage of a diverse
range of live events is particularly constrained by the relative scarcity of
skilled people, and is a strong use case for AI-based automation.
This paper describes recent BBC research into potential production
benefits of AI algorithms, using visual analysis and other techniques.
Rigging small, static UHD cameras, we have enabled a one-person crew
to crop UHD footage in multiple ways and cut between the resulting shots,
effectively creating multi-camera HD coverage of events that cannot
accommodate a camera crew. By working with programme makers to
develop simple deterministic rules and, increasingly, training systems
using advanced video analysis, we are developing a system of algorithms
to automatically frame, sequence and select shots, and construct
acceptable multicamera coverage of previously untelevised types of event
