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27 Feb 2022

Kingdom of Plants with David Attenborough

By 1618digital

KINGDOM OF PLANTS: VR series with David Attenborough
GENRE: Nature/ Science
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Alchemy Immersive / Atlantic Productions / Zoo VFX / Oculus VR
OUR ROLE: Spatial Sound Design, Dubbing

Meet the dynamic, bloodthirsty, and heroic characters of the plant world guided by Natural History Legend, David Attenborough. The hidden lives of plants are revealed for the first time in 8K 3D virtual reality at 60fps, through spectacular macro cinematography and time-lapse sequences shot over weeks. In continuation of the landmark production, David Attenborough’s Kingdom of Plants, comes this breathtaking three-part immersive series that reveals the perils and drama of the plant world. All episodes are now available on Oculus TV in Oculus Quest 2 headsets.

Over three episodes, unearth allies, enemies, and predators of the plant kingdom. Sit inside some of the most beautiful and rare blooms on our planet, or be beguiled by the beautiful but bloodthirsty sundew. Dive inside a microscope to see some of the smallest seeds in incredible detail. Be consumed by fungi: one of the most gruesome yet essential organisms on our earth. Witness the battle cry of a Pine tree and become entrapped in the infamous Venus Flytrap.

Produced using customised 3D stereoscopic cameras, specially developed stereo-timelapse rigs, and innovative VFX compositing techniques, Kingdom of Plants pushes the potential of immersive media production pipelines. At 8K, details of flowers, plants, and insects invisible to the human eye are revealed. Breathtaking spatial sound design by 1.618 Digital infuses the perils and drama of the plant world with life. The 60fps frame rate shows every delicate movement of a mushroom tearing as it grows or a flowers’ spectacular bloom.

Behind The Scenes

Alchemy Immersive Case Study: https://alchemyimmersive.com/productions/kingdomofplants/

Alchemy Immersive Oculus Page: https://creator.oculus.com/community/2319730815002569/

Image Credit: Atlantic Productions

27 Feb 2022

Cutty Sark Ship Alive

By 1618digital

Cutty Sark Ship Alive: Mixed Reality Experience
GENRE: History/ Science
CLIENT: Royal Museums Greenwich
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Alchemy Immersive / Atlantic Productions / Zoo VFX
OUR ROLE: Binaural Sound Design

Royal Museums Greenwich asked Alchemy Immersive to develop a prototype that would test the use case for an immersive experience aboard the legendary ship Cutty Sark. Standing atop its visitors centre in Greenwich, London, Cutty Sark has captured the imagination of visitors and passers-by since its installation in 1954. Now though, thanks to the help of immersive stories and augmented reality, you can see the ship alive.

Working closely with the Museum and their team, we set out to create a narrative based journey that invited users to explore and navigate the ship using a story. This was done using two key components, spatialised sound and augmented reality.

Initially focusing on one chapter for the prototype, we developed a spatial sound narrative that guided users and focused them on the ship’s capstan. At the bow of the ship, the capstan was used by the crew to lower and raise sails. The narrative was developed to focus on the real characters of the Cutty Sark’s crew, engaging users with the human-focused history of the ship as opposed to the mechanical features.

Alchemy Immersive Case Study: https://alchemyimmersive.com/productions/cutty-sark-ship-alive/

Image Credit: Atlantic Productions

27 Feb 2022

Nestlé Global Employee Training and A Customer Experience Programme

By 1618digital

NESTLE GLOBAL TRAINING PROGRAM: Interactive VR Experience, Virtual Training Modules
BRAND: Nestle
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Immerse
OUR ROLE: Sound Design, VO Casting & Recording, 3D Audio Postproduction & Unity Implementation

Immerse designed an interaction-rich VR training and assessment course covering correct procedures for Confined Spaces, Working at Heights, and Safe Modes of machine intervention (Stop the Machine & Apply Loto) for Nestlé staff working with production line machinery. By adding interaction and allowing users to see some of the consequences of some of the associated hazards, employees were able to learn by doing, as well as seeing and hearing. To help consumers understand the importance of The Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Programme we designed a VR experience that gives consumers the opportunity to virtually visit and interact with a typical Nespresso AAA coffee farm, enabling them to understand the depth of the AAA program and Nespresso coffee expertise by virtually practising coffee culture processes.

1.618 Digital was brought to do Sound Design, VO Casting & Recording, 3D Audio Postproduction & Unity Implementation.

Immerse Case Study: https://immerse.io/case_study/nestle-global-employee-vr-training-programme/

Image Credit: Immerse

03 Nov 2021

Laika

By 1618digital

LAIKA: VR Animation
COMMISSION: StoryFutures Academy XR
DIRECTOR: Asif Kapadia
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Passion
OUR ROLE: Spatial Mix, Audio Postproduction, UE Implementation

On Thursday 7 October 2021, Laika made its world premiere in immersive virtual reality at BFI London Film Festival (LFF) as a part of their Expanded programme. Directed by BAFTA and Academy Award Winning Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, Diego Maradona), this is Asif’s first foray into immersive storytelling, bringing together his established cinematic voice to animated Virtual Reality.

Adapted from Nick Abadzis’ eponymous 2007 graphic novel, Laika will tell the story of planet Earth’s first voyager into space, an unwanted stray who became the most famous dog in the world.

Laika is commissioned by StoryFutures Academy (the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling, run by the National Film and Television School, and Royal Holloway, University of London), with support from the BFI Film Fund (award National Lottery funding), Film4 and Epic Games. It is a BFI London Film Festival Initiative.

1.618 Digital was brought in to lead on 3D audio post-production and UE implementation.

StoryFutures Academy XR Commission ‘Laika’ World Premiere in VR at BFI London Film Festival 2021: https://www.storyfutures.com/news/storyfutures-academy-xr-commission-laika-world-premiere-in-vr-at-lff-expanded-2021

StoryFutures Academy XR Commission ‘Laika’ World Premiere in VR at BFI London Film Festival 2021: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=laika

Image Credit: StoryFutures

30 Aug 2021

Blame Game EXP feat. Harry Shotta in Dolby Atmos

By 1618digital

BLAME GAME: Narrative Music Experience with Dolby Atmos
ARTIST: Harry Shotta
PRODUCERS: Macky Gee & Erb N Dub
ARTIST MANAGEMENT: David Ross
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Oliver Kadel
LABEL: 1.618 Music
STREAMING PLATFORMS: Apple, TIDAL, Amazon HD
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 1.618 Digital
OUR ROLE: Spatial Sound Recording, Sound Design, Dolby Atmos Mix

Blame Game EXP featuring Harry Shotta is a pioneering 20-minute music experience comprising four tracks and five-part audio-only cinematic scenes. This piece explores socio-economic issues such as crime, poverty, deprivation, and mental health. The story is told from different perspectives reflected in the lyrics and narrative transitions that help the audience to better understand the complexity of the depicted relationships.

The aim of this collaboration was to bring together conventional music production and songwriting with the narrative sound design and new generation immersive audio technologies usually associated with cinema and gaming.

The use of spatial sound design for narrative components and cutting-edge Dolby Atmos audio format for music mixing brings the audience face to face with the stories unfolding throughout. Blame Game EXP showcases the true potential of immersive storytelling to on-demand music streaming.

HARRY SHOTTA

Harry Shotta is an award-winning international MC who has travelled the globe touring since he exploded onto the Drum N Bass scene. He is a Guinness world record champion achieving the title of ‘most words on a song’ beating Eminem’s ‘Rap God’ back in 2017 with his epic display of double-time speed rap on ‘Animal’. Harry has also written the first Rap AR experience ‘Consequences’ which was launched at the Future Of Storytelling Festival in New York in 2018. This was followed by a showcase sponsored by Bose at the Raindance Immersive festival in 2019. Continuing his passion for weaving storytelling into musical soundscapes, Harry’s latest journey into thought-provoking lyrical narratives finds him breaking down the story of a troubled boy over four different tracks.

TRACK DESCRIPTION

Starting with the ‘The Joker’ we hear the story from the perspective of an abused child screaming out for help from those around him. Due to the lack of support and the continued mental and physical pain subjected to the innocent child, we learn of the repercussions and the potential ramifications of a child ignored hellbent on revenge.

On ‘Nosey Neighbour’ we see the perception of the child growing up through the eyes of his neighbour, who gets an inkling that something isn’t quite right but sadly decides to look the other way. This track also features the thoughts of the local shopkeeper who witnesses the child being bullied and physically beaten by other children and although he initially wants to help he comes to the conclusion that it’s ‘none of his business.’

‘Stuck In A Trap’ is told through the eyes of the boy’s stepfather who breaks down his side of the story over a haunting backdrop. This is perhaps the most telling of the four tracks and really exposes the daily ritual of mental and physical abuse the focal point of the EP had to endure before eventually striking back.

The grand finale of the EP ‘Michael Green’ is set at the scene of a live news report of a violent crime where local residents find themselves thrust into a media spectacle. In the midst of a heinous murder, the participants and the listener are asked the question of who is really to blame for the chilling outcome of the story of ‘Blame Game’.

TECHNICAL APPROACH

We produced a spatial mix with the channel beds and objects across the spatial audio resolution of the 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos layout. This playback method offers true 3D audio either on speakers or headphones. In comparison to more traditional surround formats, it offers elevation as well as the Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) which is an essential component when it comes to simulating how we perceive and navigate the real world. HRTF is a set of filters that represent human anatomies, such as the size and shape of ears and head. Once extrapolated in the form of an algorithm, it is used in real-time during the playback of the content. This effect was enhanced for the narrative components and reduced on musical parts to maintain contrast between spatial perspective environments as well as timbral fidelity of the music.

DOLBY ATMOS & HEADTRACKING

Dolby Atmos is currently supported on the Apple Music platform along with several other major music streaming platforms. We believe that in the immediate future more and more members of the global audience will gain access to this content as the evolution and adaptation of immersive audio continues across the industries. Furthermore, we are very excited about the introduction of a head-tracking feature on a number of consumer devices. This technology is typically built into earphones or headphones that work wirelessly through Bluetooth. The head-tracking gives 3 degrees of freedom (3DOF) movement in relation to a centre-stage of the content thus adding another dimension to the listening experience.

Image Credit: Harry Shotta

30 Aug 2021

Project Endeavour

By 1618digital

PROJECT ENDEAVOUR: 360° Video / VR Animation
BRAND: Oxbotica
PRODUCTION COMPANY: East City Films
OUR ROLE: Spatial Sound Recording, Sound Design, 3D Audio Postproduction

In January 2021, East City Films were approached by the team at DG Cities and Oxbotica to create two VR experiences for their autonomous vehicles project, Project Endeavour. Project Endeavour is a consortium that is enabling the early deployment of autonomous vehicles in urban areas around the UK. The pandemic put paid to the public trials they were planning around the country in 2021 and virtual reality became their solution.

East City Films were commissioned to create two separate experiences. The first was a VR experience that put the viewer inside a present-day autonomous vehicle; the second was where to imagine a future city some years from now where autonomous vehicles are ubiquitous.

The end result was seen by thousands of people that had signed up for a Google Cardboard, allowing them to experience an autonomous vehicle from the comfort of their own home.

1.618 Digital was brought in to assist with location sound, sound design and 3D audio post-production on this project.

East City Films Case Study: https://eastcityfilms.com/project-endeavour

Image Credit: East City Films

16 Aug 2021

Wimbledon’s Virtual Hill

By 1618digital

WIMBLEDON’S VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE: Interactive Social Experience for mobile
BRAND: Amex
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Solarflare Studio
OUR ROLE: Sound Design

With reduced capacity on the grounds (due to COVID) and international super fans being unable to attend the event in person, Wimbledon wanted to create a virtual experience to recreate the spirit of the Hill in an online audience. In partnership with Wasserman, Solarflare Studio developed an interactive social experience featuring avatars, emojis, strawberry costumes and mullets, creating an unforgettable digital experience to keep fans connected and feeling the Championship spirit.

Solarflare Studio Case Study: https://solarflarestudio.co.uk/work/wimbledons-virtual-hill/

Image Credit: Solarflare Studio

15 Aug 2021

Museum Alive AR With David Attenborough

By 1618digital

MUSEUM ALIVE: Augmented Reality Mobile App narrated by David Attenborough
GENRE: Nature/ Science
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Alchemy Immersive / Atlantic Productions / Zoo VFX
OUR ROLE: Spatial Sound Design & Implementation

Discover prehistoric life in ways never experienced before at home. Guided by natural history legend David Attenborough, discover fascinating worlds from the past millions of years in a way only possible with Augmented Reality.

Welcome to the Museum. Here, long-extinct come back to life and roam the real world in stunning augmented reality. Follow a fearsome saber-toothed tiger as he stalks his prey, soar around the room with a flying dinosaur, and discover one of the strangest sea creatures from over 500 million years ago.

This immersive educational experience brings you into the world of these long-lost animals. Search for the information points to discover more about the fossils and their incredible worlds. Guided by David Attenborough, and including videos and photographs from across his career, this experience is entertaining and educational for the whole family.

Download Museum Alive with David Attenborough on the App Store to witness long-extinct animals as you’ve never seen them before. Currently supported by iOS 13 and iOS 14 from iPhone 7 upwards.

1.618 Digital was commissioned to create immersive sound design to bring creatures and the worlds they inhabit alive.

Alchemy Immersive Case Study: https://alchemyimmersive.com/productions/museumalive/

Image Credit: Atlantic Productions

15 Aug 2021

Sportsbet.io & Southampton FC

By 1618digital

SPORTSBET.IO & SOUTHAMPTON FC: 360° Video Tour
BRAND: Sportsbet.io / Southampton FC
PRODUCTION COMPANY: East City Films
OUR ROLE: Sound Recording, 3D Audio Postproduction

As part of their club partnerships with Southampton FC, cryptocurrency sportsbook Sportsbet.io commissioned East City Films to create a new VIP experience that uses VR technology to recreate the magic of matchday, at home. Viewers can now watch full 360° videos of exclusive football content straight from their mobile devices as a part of the innovative new initiative.

This first Virtual Reality experience was delivered in December 2020 ahead of Southampton FC’s home fixture against Manchester City and featured a tour of St Mary’s stadium with Saints legends Francis Benali and Matthew Le Tissier, as well as a penalty masterclass with Le Tissier. More activity is due throughout 2021, with the potential to further expand the experiences on offer across their club sponsorships.

1.618 Digital was brought in to assist with location sound and audio post-production on this project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLFTKWVSgM

East City Films Case Study: https://eastcityfilms.com/sportsbetio-southamptonvr

Image Credit: East City Films

15 Aug 2021

Meta Streamlining and Enhancing Global Training Efficiency

By 1618digital

META EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING: Interactive VR Experience
BRAND: Meta
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Immerse
OUR ROLE: Sound Design, Bespoke Music Production, Unity Implementation

For Facebook, it was vital to ensure that new starters have a great understanding of the company’s values, history, and products from the offset. The company envisioned an immersive training and educational experience for new hires delivered through the Quest headset as part of Facebook’s AR/VR onboarding program. Immerse designed an interactive virtual reality experience that covered the past, present and future of the Facebook organization and products. This included detailed walkthroughs of existing products, product design processes and forthcoming roadmap developments. The training was delivered as a Meta Quest application, taking advantage of the interactivity made available by this device.

The virtual reality training ensured that every employee received the same experience, maintaining consistency in the quality and content of the onboarding process. This is especially important in a tech company where consistent knowledge and skills are crucial.

Immerse Case Study: https://immerse.io/case-study-meta/

Image Credit: Immerse

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