GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Kevin Camps, Florida's assistant athletics director of creative media and branding, opens a door, turns on the lights and presses a couple of buttons on a high-powered computer.
In a few seconds, Camps and his guest are in the middle of a virtual swamp. Water surrounds them. You can seemingly feel the humidity rise. The eyes of hostile gators appear to have lunch in mind.
Welcome to the Gators' new
Vū Technologies studio inside the football team's indoor practice facility. The University Athletic Association recently received donations from generous boosters familiar with Vū Technologies to install the state-of-the-art LED studio.
The gift has Camps eager to explore the possibilities.
"We are trying to expand what we do in the creative world,'' Camps said. "It's really a game-changer for creatives in the sports industry."
Vū Technologies has four virtual studios across the country, including in Tampa and Orlando. The other two are in Nashville and Las Vegas. The studios range from 40,000-square feet in Las Vegas to 16,000-square feet in Nashville.
The same technology used to create movie scenes, commercials and music videos is now housed on a smaller scale on UF's campus.
With the move, the Gators have taken digital steps deeper into the 21st Century.
"There's a lot of creative firepower there that you can harness," UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "It allows our creative staff to be more efficient. If they want to create unique settings or backdrops for some of their work, they just upload it to a computer.
"This is cutting edge. Hollywood is using this to create shows and movies off this type of technology. They found a lot of cost savings, not having to go on location. They can create the location right there, and we can do a lot of the same thing."
The various ways to apply the technology are limitless. The Gators will use it to recruit prospective student-athletes interested in creating unique content for their social media accounts during visits. They can create marketing and advertising campaigns to be used on the video boards at the sports venues across campus. They can create memorable backdrops for podcasts and coaches' shows. Gators head coach Billy Napier could diagram a play that worked to win a game, and the diagram would show up on the 13-foot high LED screen for viewers to see.
"As a former UF athlete, I'm proud to see my alma mater leaning into technology and creative innovations like virtual production,'' said former Gators and NFL standout Trey Burton. "The sky is the limit to what current athletes and recruits will be able to experience when they step foot into this space."
Florida is the first college athletic program to create a Vū Technologies studio. The lab is open and has already hosted the UF baseball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse teams for creative-content shoots.
A film shoot in a Vu Technologies studio. (Photo: Courtesy of Vu Technologies website)
"At Vū, what gets us excited is working with clients who are willing to push the boundaries of what the industry thought was possible before and create innovative ways to utilize virtual production," said Jon Davila, president of Vū Technologies. "The University of Florida has been one of those clients and we can't wait to see how this will change the content creation and recruiting game for them for years to come."
Back inside the Gators' studio, Camps opens another backdrop on the computer. Soon, you are flying around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on a Saturday night attached to a drone. The crowd is going wild. Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" is blaring. The Gators are winning.
"Now that's cool," the guest said.
"It's not your normal PowerPoint presentation," Camps replied. "I think it's an opportunity to highlight what we do and the University of Florida trying to be trailblazers in everything we do."
