Blog

23 Aug 2017

The Slide

By 1618digital

THE SLIDE: 360 VR experience for The View from The Shard
BRAND:  The Shard
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Happy Finish
OUR ROLE: Interactive Sound Design

Experience heights of up to 800ft on the city’s answer to helter skelter, the latest addition to the VR experiences at the view from the Shard.  The experience provides a truly immersive multi-sensory slide, skirting around a ‘virtual’ Shard whilst set in a breaktaking 360° view of London, 69 floors up. Participants are invited to sit on a custom-built slide that mimics the VR content to make the perfect immersive experience.

Happy Finish enrolled our team to infuse the descent with some action audio for the slide to complete immersion for the visitors.  We designed sound to create a realistic sonic journey through the various jumps and falls to really capture the speed and fully immerse the slider.  The participants are able to feel fear, joy and excitement throughout their journey, showing the power VR and immersion have over our emotions.

The ride has attracted crowds from all over, including guests from Good Morning Britain, and received a huge amount of press.  This really is an experience not to be missed.

Happy Finish Case Study – Creating the world’s highest Virtual Reality slide experience

Good Morning Britain – See Richard Arnold’s Reaction

Would you like to try the experience? – Please follow this link

Image credit Happy Finish.

23 Aug 2017

In The Gym with Chris Eubank Jr

By 1618digital

IN THE GYM WITH CHRIS EUBANK JR: 360º Film
BRAND:  ITV Box Office
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  VR City
OUR ROLE: Audio Capture on Location

Follow Chris Eubank Jr, the IBO world super middleweight champion, as he trains for his match against Arthur Abraham to keep the title on 15th July 2017.

Immerse yourself in his world with a 360° experience to see, hear and feel just what it is like to train 7 days a week, every week.  From warm up, routine, punch bags and sparing, the grit and determination within this experience is truly remarkable.

The 1.618 team were thrilled to work with VR City and have the chance to record on set in Brighton during his training session.  We were able to watch the boxer in action, and get a sense of just how ferocious he can be. You will also hear exclusive insights from the interviews of Eubank Jr mentor Ronnie Davies, and his father Chris Eubank Sr. They describe just what he will be like come match day, which leaves nothing to the imagination.

Immerse yourself in every moment from the experience, to really hear each detail of this gruelling routine.

Watch the video in full – 360° In The Gym with Chris Eubank Jr | ITV Box Office

Watch the trailer on Facebook – Get ready to see Chris Eubank Jr as you’ve never seen him before

Find Eubank Jr’s fight schedule – Chris Eubank Jr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUaq4CM9G-Q

Image credit Alan Dawson, Business Insider.
14 Aug 2017

UEFA Road to Cardiff

By 1618digital

UEFA ROAD TO CARDIFF: Location-Based VR Experience
BRAND: UEFA
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Somewhere Else
OUR ROLE: Music Production & Sound Design

When brainstorming how to get diehard football fans more involved before the 2017 Champions’ League Final, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) tasked the production company, Somewhere Else, to create that type of experience. The goal was to take fans on an emotional rollercoaster by immersing them in Champions’ League history as well as incorporating 360 footage UEFA had been working on for years prior.

Somewhere Else titled the experience: Road to Cardiff, which allowed users to select between Real Madrid and Juventus to focus on. By putting on the VR headset, these fans were able to learn about their team’s history and watch the current year’s highlights, all from a sideline’s point of view. The finishing touch incorporated both nervousness and excitement. People were able to listen to their heartbeats as they walked out of the tunnel and approached the center of the pitch. With thousands of fans cheering, you were able to lift the Champion’s League trophy and advertise victory for your beloved team!

1.618 Digital was brought in and produced the sound design and bespoke music for the experience at the VR fan zone at the 2017 UCL Final in Cardiff for UEFA.

Case Study – https://somewhereelse.co/project/uefa-vr/

Image Credit: Somewhere Else

30 Jun 2017

Three Never Settle

By 1618digital

NEVER SETTLE: VR Experience
BRAND: Three
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Somewhere Else
OUR ROLE: Creative Audio Treatment, Sound Design, 3D Audio Post-Production

Follow Three’s very own ‘Giraffe-amingo’ (a creature unique to Three, that combines a giraffe with a flamingo) on a five-stop world tour of the network provider’s Feel At Home destinations.

With Feel At Home, Three UK customers can use their mobiles phones as they would in the UK in more destinations than any other UK-based network.

Whether it’s hang gliding around Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue, relaxing on the beach in Miami or taking in Hong Kong’s lantern festival, 1.618 Digital was thrilled to provide the campaign’s hyperreal dynamic soundtrack infused with a sense of adventure in each scene.

We were also keen to provide an exaggerated humorous sound to match the feel of Three’s glorious Giraffe-amingo character, carefully curating voice talent and paying special attention to the creative sound concept from start to finish.

Somewhere Else Case Study –  Never Settle!

Outsmart – Three partners with Kinetic for unique VR experience

Image Credit Somewhere Else.

 

26 Jun 2017

IN MY SHOES: INTIMACY

By 1618digital

IN MY SHOES: INTIMACY: Immersive Theatre
DIRECTOR: Jane Gauntlett  PRODUCER: Tessa Ratuszynska
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Visualise
OUR ROLE: Binaural Sound Recording, Sound Design & 3D Audio Post-Production

Using virtual reality, director Jane Gauntlett explores the concept of trust and connection in her latest film “In My Shoes: Intimacy,” which premiered at the 2017 Sheffield Doc/Fest.

The experience invites two strangers to sit on a sofa together and become partners in the virtual world, with sound playing an important role throughout.

“In My Shoes: Intimacy” is a great piece that illustrates a power of virtual reality to evoke empathy by placing the viewer in a challenging situation via someone else’s perspective.” says Oliver Kadel, sound supervisor at 1.618 Digital.

The creative team at 1.618 Digital carefully manipulated the sound within each scene to slowly draw the focus away from the surrounding cacophony and towards the dialogue between the characters as they engage in deeper conversation.

“Jane wanted to create a very intimate atmosphere which can not only drive audience emotionally but also physiologically – for example, causing a sense of arousal.”

The film’s diegetic narrative sounds were captured in 3D, with additional dialogue lines recorded both monophonically and binaurally.

These were later edited in post production to convey to the viewer an internal dialogue that is continuously present for all characters.

“By utilising different formats and implementation techniques we were able to diversify how the sound is conveyed to the listener, and therefore able to highlight certain subcontexts of each scene”.

Oliver Kadel – Lead Sound Designer / Sound Supervisor

Visualise: Intimacy

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/220648043

janegauntlett.com: An new Interactive Experience for two using virtual reality and 360 film

Intimacy is showcased at VRUK Fest

Latin American Tour  Announced

BBC Click iPlayer ( Intimacy appears at 14:00)

BBC Click Radio

The Film Programme (Intimacy Appears at 13:55)

VR Focus:  News VR Documentary In My Shoes: Intimacy To Premiere At Sheffield Doc/Fest

Featured image credit Natalie Lindiwe Jones for Sublime & Ridiculous.
Thumbnail image credit Visualise.

26 Jun 2017

HSBC for British Cycling 360º

By 1618digital

HSBC FOR BRITISH CYCLING: 360º Video
BRAND:  HSBC
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Visualise
OUR ROLE: 360º Sound Recording, Music Curation, Sound Design & 3D Audio Post-Production

This HSBC British Cycling 360º video invites users to experience a journey through time from the perspective of cycling heroes Chris Hoy, Laura Kenny, Jason Kenny and Joanna Rowsell Shand.

From the first wobbly pedal pushes to the rush of a lap around the Olympic velodrome, viewers are offered a first-person taste of life on the road to cycling glory.

From 1.618 Digital’s perspective, the unique challenge of this project was that we needed to support the story with a use of audio so that it felt both authentic and immersive for the time and place it was set in. We used various audio filters to distinguish between the eras spanning from the 1970s to 2000. Period equipment emulation such as tape delay, spring reverb and the frequency response of a 90s boom box were used on the soundtrack to further enhanced the effect.

Visualise Case Study: HSBC UK City Rides

Experience the full 360º journey on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/britishcycling/videos/10155109693658145

Image credit British Cycling.
15 May 2017

WHIST

By 1618digital

WHIST: 360 Virtual & Augmented Reality Film Installation
BRAND: AΦE
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Happy Finish
OUR ROLE: 3D Sound Design & Audio Post-Production

Inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud and Shuji Tereyama, WHIST is an innovative 360 virtual reality film installation for AΦE that combines live performance with the digital experience of the reality of the viewer.

Pushing the boundaries of virtual and augmented reality, WHIST aims to unlock a new medium and invites its audience into a world of endless possibilities, where the mind is taken on a sensory journey into the depths of its imagination.

This unique approach uses 360 film, 3D sound and theatre to create an invigorating visual and audio immersive adventure, that takes the audience on a vivid journey into their surrealist dreams and fears, providing a truly unforgettable experience.

To create this immersive experience, it was integral to use sound as the driving force to capture the audience’s senses and guide them through this parallel reality. Using our expertise in 3D sound, 1.618 Digital were tasked with designing and producing the audio for this installation. We used our cutting-edge audio technology and industry experience to produce a sophisticated sound that ensured the audience were fully immersed and both physically and mentally involved in the experience.

We recreated the surrounding environment for this installation using an acoustic environment and sonic cues within a virtual space. Sonic cues and acoustics played a vital role as they provided directionality and enabled us to insert a number of virtual sources. The audience could then play the content through their headphones and, using head-tracking, they were then able to interact with the 3D sound field.

“The scope of the project was large and there was a real level of depth and sophistication in terms of creativity and vision within the experience. The project has not stopped surprising us.”

Oliver Kadel, Co-founder & Head of Audio

What’s Next?

WHIST has toured the UK, with their installation featured at both The Gulbenkian and the iconic V&A museum. WHIST plans to continue touring internationally, captivating audiences world-wide with its unique and immersive approach to digital story-telling.

Happy Finish – WHIST blends 360 VR and physical theatre

Creative Review – WHIST and the ‘gamification’ of theatre

AΦE – Book your tickets here

WHIST Trailer: A 360° Experience

WHIST – Audience interview

Image credit AΦE.
15 May 2017

The Gore-Tex Surround

By 1618digital

The GORE-TEX® SURROUND®: Immersive 5D Experience
BRAND:  Gore-Tex
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Visualise / MKTG / Igloo Vision
OUR ROLE: Immersive 3D Soundscape Design

The GORE-TEX® SURROUND® 5D experience is an invigorating multi-dimensional simulation, designed to immerse you in a world of 5D virtual situations. Participants are invited to expose themselves to the elements in a series of visually captivating simulated locations, demonstrating the durability of the GORE-TEX® range. From the Henrhyd falls waterfall in southern Wales, to the cliffs of Malham Cove in North Yorkshire, this experience combines all the latest cutting-edge immersive 360º projection and 3D sound technologies to deliver a truly indescribable experience.

To create the most expansive and stimulating sensory experience possible, 1.618 Digital were tasked with designing the immersive 3D and 5.1 sound for this project. Our brief was to create an immersive audio experience that replicated the natural listening experience and pulled the audience deeper into an audio induced simulated reality.

Using a combination of high-definition capture, post processing, and spatial audio design, we produced a vivid soundscape that gave the audience an all-encompassing experience and enabled them to envisage the qualities of the brand.

Visualise – New GORE-TEX® 5D experience at Westfield London!

Gore-Tex – Tackle Nature Head on at the GORE-TEX® SURROUND® 5D Experience

28 Mar 2017

O2 Academy Venues VR

By 1618digital

O2 ACADEMY VENUES VR: 2-Line Narrative 360º Film
BRAND:  O2
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Happy Finish
OUR ROLE: 3D Audio Capture, Sound Design, Music Composition & Post-Production

VR Scout Alaster Armitage-Brain

“Featuring a cast of over 100 and filmed by a crew of almost 30, the experience offers two experiences in one. Using a unique, interactive and switchable storytelling mechanic, you can swap between being a music fan or a member of the band – experiencing first-hand how the excitement builds both in front of and behind the stage.”

O2 Press Release – O2 unveils new virtual reality experiences

VR Scout – O2 Launches Rugby & Music VR Experiences

Visit the O2 Stores to see the experience – O2 Official Webpage

The experience will be available to download later this year in app stores!

O2 Academy venues 360° Virtual Reality Teaser

Image credit O2.

28 Mar 2017

Wear The Rose

By 1618digital

WEAR THE ROSE: Interactive VR Experience
BRAND:  O2 / England Rugby
PRODUCTION COMPANY:  Happy Finish
OUR ROLE: 3D Audio Capture & Post-Production, Interactive Sound Design & Game Engine Integration

“England Rugby’s new secret weapon – virtual reality – allows viewers to join the England Rugby team for a training session at Twickenham, explore the training grounds and test their skills against the champions of the sport in this groundbreaking combination of virtual reality and 360 real-time CG, combining immersive VR film with a VR game.”

Happy Finish

Case Study – O2 puts rugby fans in the game with “Wear the Rose” VR experience

England Rugby – O2 unveils virtual reality England Rugby game

VR Scout – O2 Launches Rugby & Music VR Experiences

Visit the O2 Stores to see the experience – O2 Official Webpage

The experience will be available to download later this year in app stores!

O2 unveils virtual reality England Rugby game

Image credit Happy Finish.

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