How AI is creating the "fancams" for music broadcast shows

After the music broadcast ends, fans usually look for the individual member "Jik Cam (Fancams)."

"Fancam" is an abbreviation for 'directly filmed fan cam videos' and is a trend among K-pop idol fans. While music broadcasts focus on the group as a whole and may not capture each member individually, "Fancams" specifically shine a spotlight on a particular member, allowing fans to see their favorite member in more detail.

As technology and culture around 'Fancams' continue to evolve, there has been a shift from fans filming the footage to broadcasting companies providing it themselves. In contrast to the past, where fan-recorded "Fancam" videos were prevalent, now broadcasting companies are offering their own "Fancam" footage.

A Japanese media outlet has recently expressed awe at the latest technology used to create these "Fancam" videos on Korean music programs. 

On November 18, NHK, a Japanese media outlet, highlighted the fact that AI is used to produce "Fancams" on Korean music broadcasts.

While covering the KBS2 music program, 'Music Bank,' NHK explained, "AI recognizes the faces of each member on the computer and extracts specific members from the entire video," adding that "switching member selection immediately changes the extracted subject, allowing the creation of multiple 'Fancams' from a single full video."

The studio participants were also amazed by the AI camera technology in Korea. In 2018, KBS developed the VVERTIGO prototype with an embedded AI engine that produces these fancam videos.

According to NHK's broadcast, the AI camera accurately captured the members even when they were performing intense choreography during the show.

It was revealed that 'Music Bank' produces over 10,000 "Fancam" videos annually using this method.

In response, Japanese K-pop fans commented, "As expected of K-pop," "Even the technology has advanced like this," "Amazing Korea," "It's an astonishing K-pop technology," "I wish Japan could bring this in too," and "I was curious how 'Fancam' is filmed, and it's fascinating."

Many Korean fans also expressed surprise, saying, "I didn't know it was filmed with AI," "No wonder it was so stable and comfortable," "We need to appreciate Korean technology," "I thought the camera director was filming," "It recognizes the members' faces and finds them," and "It's impressive how the 'Fancam' culture has developed."