WE ARE IMMOTION

The Idea

The power of virtual reality lies in its ability to teleport – to magically transport a viewer to any corner of the world to witness breathtaking experiences that he or she may never have a chance to observe in real life.

All of our conservation-themed teleportations begin with research. What are the most pressing environmental issues affecting our planet? What subject matter aligns with our zoo and aquarium partners’ mission statements? Which endangered wildlife desperately needs a spotlight?

That is why Immotion works closely with our zoo and aquarium partners and with conservation researchers and scientists to determine the most exciting wildlife stories that can both resonate and educate.

The Planning

Diving with sharks in The Bahamas, trekking to find mountain gorillas in Rwanda or even swimming with humpback whales in the South Pacific. Each one of these filmed experiences requires hundreds of hours of research and planning.

Each exotic location we visit provides unique challenges to the Emmy Award-winning documentary team at Immotion. For example, in our “Gorilla Trek” VR experience we had to figure out how to lug unique, state-of-the-art VR camera systems up the steep inclines of the Rwandan rainforest; how to capture a story when the local government only allows you to film for one hour each day to protect the animals; and to find an authentic voice to speak with authority about the subject matter.

Expanding the Team

Our finished experiences are a unique blend of both technology, storytelling and science. To get the science right, we team up with the experts.

For examples, with “Shark Dive,” we teamed up with the Bimini Sharklab in The Bahamas. And in the case of “Gorilla Trek,” we partnered with primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to both guide our storytelling and to lend her voice to speak for the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

Production

Filming in VR is difficult enough. Filming in 360º requires a smaller footprint than traditional narrative or documentary filmmaking. Filming in 3D requires using unique camera systems with multiple lenses recording in synchronicity. But add in to the equation the need to move the camera to take advantage of our motion-based platform and we have created a very complicated set of logistical problems that have to be worked out way in advance of filming.

However, no matter how much you plan, there is always the unpredictability of the animals. At its heart, our VR experiences are documentaries and you can’t direct the animals to “act” in front of the camera or move from mark 1 to mark 2 to benefit camera position. Often times, as with our “Gorilla Trek” film, using guides who are familiar to the animals is essential. And understanding the science of their behavior to predict their movement is equally important.

Postproduction

Although every production begins with a story concept you hope to document, postproduction is when you actually evaluate your footage and fine tune your story. It is only in the editing suite when you can figure out the best story you have versus the story you thought you had.

Editing with virtual reality footage presents its own challenges not usually encountered when cutting more traditional films or videos. For example, the footage needs to be “stitched together” because you shot with multiple lens camera systems – not just one lens – that needs to be put back together to see the full landscape of each shot.

Patience is necessary when editing in VR because it is only at the very end of the process, while conforming the final edit, that you can see the full resolution of the images in three dimensions.

The Magic of Movement

The last stage of producing motion-based conservation-themed VR documentaries is the programming of the motion. Immotion uses a proprietary software to synchronize the motion of the camera with the dynamic movement controlled by the viewing pods.

The motion platform is important for two reasons. First, adding motion into the viewing experience reduces any nausea inherent in virtual reality viewing. Second, and more importantly, it creates that final, immersive component that tricks the brain into believing you have been teleported to an exotic location to witness the magic of our planet’s delicate array of conservational challenges.