CNN Indonesia marks Jakarta Festival with virtual explainer

CNN Indonesia took a look at the 495th annual Jakarta Festival, a celebration marking the founding of its capital city, using some augmented reality.

The virtual explainer was part of a longer special marking the event produced by the show “Connected.” 

The segment starts with talent on-set with two oversized puppets known as ondel-ondel that are part of the Betawi folk performances featured prominently in the celebrations.

The set, including the large video wall behind it, are all real, as are the puppets, but the extended reality kicks in when the anchor, along with a smaller version of the studio’s riser, are transported to a 3D model of a train station, outdoor plaza, outskirts of a city and in front of the Jakarta International Stadium.

The host’s image remains inside of a small, virtual open-air pavilion modeled after the traditional architecture of the region and serves as a sort of portal into a view that mimics the feel of the studio.

CNN Indonesia is owned and operated by PT Trans News Corpora, which licenses the CNN name from Warner Bros. Discovery.