FIFA Club World Cup — Get in the Game

This was not a new pipeline from zero. It was the FC Dallas soccer system, cut down and rebuilt for FIFA so we only carried what this show needed.

I structured it so final renders, audio, the moviemaker, and the retarget scene could be replaced without rebuilding the whole chain. I specified Blender 3.6.4 for production because, on this work, it rendered faster than newer versions. That is the kind of decision that looks boring until you are processing a stadium weekend.

I updated the camera animation and reframed shots so the motion read and the logos stayed visible. I revised the celebration and pulled a still frame as a backup. I took out a fake kick that did not read. Then I delivered the retargeting package and stayed on testing and validation through the event window.

I also supported the on-site final pass. The pipeline had to work when the next fan was already in line.

High throughput. If retargeting or movie assembly wobbled, the line stopped being fun.

The video had to feel like a broadcast highlight, not a tech demo. Cameras, celebration, and the header all had to sell in about twenty seconds.

We inherited a working soccer system. The work was knowing what to keep, what to delete, and what would fail on a different body.

I did not model the stadium or create every player animation. I adapted a system I had already taken to production on FC Dallas, then owned cameras, retargeting, movie output, and delivery for this event.

The production won Best of Category at the Horizon Interactive Awards (Kiosk / Public Exhibit / Museum / VR – Interactive).