Ngapeth joins Fenerbahce amid Perugia victory and Anderson rumors
Earvin Ngapeth departs Poitiers for Fenerbahce following a 22-point performance, while Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia secures their second consecutive CEV Champions League Men's Final Four title in Turin using advanced AR production technology.
Ngapeth exits Poitiers for Turkey
Earvin Ngapeth ends his 99-day, 15-match tenure with Poitiers to join Fenerbahce in the new year. This departure follows a final match at the Arena Futuroscope against Tours, the club where he debuted in the professional league. The 5,000-seat venue sold out for the event. The crowd filled the Arena Futuroscope. Ngapeth wore number 86 during the match. Poitiers won the derby 3:2 in a five-set thriller with a scoreline of 25:22, 17:25, 30:28, 14:25, and 15:10. The derby match lasted 136 minutes and ended in a close score. Ngapeth finished with 22 points. This total included 1 ace and 2 blocks for the star player. Poitiers currently holds fourth place in the Marmara SpikeLigue table before the remaining 5 matches of the 15th round are played. You already know he is a two-time Olympic champion. He will join Denis Karyagin at Fenerbahce after the new year begins.
Perugia triumphs in Turin
Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia secured their second consecutive CEV Champions League Men’s Final Four title in Turin earlier this month. Infront Productions managed the media rights and broadcast production. The company has acted as the exclusive media rights partner for the CEV since 2020, following a relationship that stretches back more than 20 years. Alessandro Lonati, the director of Infront Productions, oversaw the use of 19 cameras to cover the matches. The technical crew used a Jimmy Jib, a 3D cablecam, a standard drone, an RF steadicam, and a gimbal-mounted Sony FX3 to capture the event and provide fluid, film-style movement throughout the arena. The production team used EVS XtraMotion to reduce the depth of field and create a super slow-motion effect for every camera. The production also used an AR graphics pipeline from Gravity Media. This system integrated match titles, team rosters, starting six, timeouts, challenge replays, player stats, and head-to-head comparisons between the best players on court. Everything was rendered in AR rather than traditional overlays, so the graphics integrated into the picture instead of sitting on top of it. The technical crew used a 3D cablecam and a Jimmy Jib to integrate AR graphics that moved dynamically with the camera platforms. This technology provided contextual depth from the opening lineup to the deciding point. The drone provided shots of the city, the venues, and the atmosphere, while the 3D cablecam flew over the court. The RF steadicam provided fluid, court-level coverage.
| Production Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Camera Count | 19 total |
| Camera Types | Jimmy Jib, 3D cablecam, drone, RF steadicam, Sony FX3 |
| AR Provider | Gravity Media |
| Lead Time | 1.5 days |
The production team worked under intense pressure because they gained access to the arena only 1.5 days before going live. This tight schedule forced the crew to coordinate lighting, audio, court construction, cablecam installation, camera rigging, and full cabling all at once. The coordination of these 19 camera platforms and various technical suppliers within such a short window was a total mess for the onsite staff.
Anderson rumors swirl
Matthew Anderson, the American volleyball superstar, might move to Zenit Saint Petersburg to play the current season. The 33-year-old outside/opposite hitter faces difficulties entering the Asian country where he was to play for Shanghai in 2020/21. Zenit Saint Petersburg wants to sign the 2019 FIVB World League MVP to replace the injured Cuban international Oreol Camejo. Media in Russia report that his answer is expected in the coming days. Will the American superstar accept the Russian offer?
