Moving sideline? Everyone was mystified by bizarre camera trick from Saturday's Ohio State-Illinois game
A shocking magic carpet trick during yesterday’s Ohio State-Illinois basketball game sent the Twitterati aflutter as they tried to figure out how a Buckeye player waiting to check in was seemingly rolled out from the bench area to the scorer’s table while sitting on his butt on the sideline.
It sounds strange, and looked stranger, but because of the low angle of a baseline camera pointing through the players on the floor toward the Buckeye sitting in front of the long video board built into the scorer’s table, an intense optical trick was played on the viewer.
As the video board, (which was framed tightly behind the athlete so the viewer could not see above it to a stationary object), started to roll horizontally through an advertisement, it looked for all the world like the player was being pulled up the sideline by some kind of magic transporter built into the playing floor.
It takes several passes through the video to understand what is happening and, even then, it is a powerful and strange optical illusion that would have sent the ancients into some kind of witch hunt or crusade against fearful magic that could destroy them all.
As it was, the sporting crowd watching the game on twitter reacted to it, often hilariously, as they fought against their primitive brains to allow rationality to win out. A few of their best reactions are compiled below.
Hold up – what pic.twitter.com/ctsJ2okmqq
— CJ Fogler 6'7" IQ 269 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 16, 2021
— 𝕁𝕒𝕙💥🌴 (@QuarterTube) January 16, 2021
I know exactly what’s happening here but my brain still can’t really process it when I see it lol
— fresh out of fucks to give (@gx5) January 16, 2021
Okay, I finally figured it out in case anyone is wondering.
The ribbon board behind the sitting player had scrolling ads. The camera just happened to be panning at the exact same speed as the ads, giving the impression that they were stationary and everything else was moving.
— DampFrijoles (@DampFrijoles) January 17, 2021
Ok yeah that messed with my head. Finally figured out what's happening after staring for a few minutes like pic.twitter.com/Y6H8NZHYW5
— ಠ_ಠ (getting vaccinated first chance I get) (@jcbenge) January 17, 2021
Weird camera move 😯
— fla-lalalala 🎄 (@FLAhuberdeaus) January 16, 2021
I thought this was the latest NBA2K game and I was watching a glitch.
What a weird optical illusion!
— Nintendo Pals (@NintendoPals) January 17, 2021
Inception! pic.twitter.com/6OufhMA1bW
— Jöṅ-MultiFan-Ḅḷïṅḳ (@JonAyala17) January 17, 2021
I keep replaying it. This looks like a well made video game. They don't even look real for some reason 🥴😂
— Mr. Nightingale (@LuvNightingale) January 17, 2021
— Hoeless Joe Jackson (@bigeisamazing) January 17, 2021
Damn he sliding all the way to the dms,😂
— Davido🇿🇦🇨🇦 (@Dr_Dave23) January 17, 2021
— Bae’Sean Tate 🖤 (@gr33ngold) January 16, 2021
The simulation is breaking down
— Joey Leaters (@joeyleaters) January 17, 2021