An igloo has recently been installed in the premises of the Institute of Multimedia Production, in which 360-degree films can be projected for up to ten viewers. This igloo is used as an experimental laboratory to clarify questions about narration and design in real filmed or virtual 360-degree spaces and immersive experiences.
At the Institute of Multimedia Production, new technologies are constantly being tested and utilised in various projects, both in teaching and research. The latest highlight is an igloo into which 360-degree films are projected.
In technical terms, the Igloo Dome is a 360-degree "screen" with a height of 2.50 metres and a diameter of 6.00 metres. Five synchronised high-performance projectors are used to display the images. This enables a permanent all-round view for 360-degree photos, films or interactive applications, for example.
As a kick-off project, three productions were created for the igloo:
FHGR image film
One of the productions aimed to create an image film about the UAS Graubünden that would appeal to future students in particular, but would also be interesting and informative for a wide audience.
In order to convey the information as personally as possible and create proximity to the audience right from the start, it was decided to use a young protagonist who takes the viewers on a tour. In terms of production technology, the team surmised that a mere sequence of 360-degree scenes in a headset works well, but is not varied enough in a cave and does not have the necessary drive to grab a young and tech-savvy target group. Nevertheless, the entire 360-degree space should be able to be utilised. Based on these considerations, the team decided to split the projection surface of the cave into five image sections (monitors) during storyboarding. Only individual monitors were then used alternately in the scene compositions, sometimes two monitors opposite each other or all five monitors simultaneously. In the 360-degree settings, an attempt was made to utilise the unique possibilities of this medium. Accordingly, we also experimented with unusual perspectives.
Inside MMP
The production Inside MMP (MMP = Multimedia Production) offers an immersive insight into the bachelor's programme and is to be shown at various education fairs. During the conception and production, there was much discussion about directing the attention of the audience, who are no longer in a frontal stage situation, but are surrounded by the action, so that all the important dramatic moments are perceived and yet everyone sees their own personal section of the 360-degree story. The central idea was to relax the action around the viewers. For example, viewers sit in the middle of a seminar class, stand in the middle of a studio film production and experience a briefing by event design students at a major international event in Zurich.
Interactive project
The Visualisation module team was responsible for implementing an interactive real-time application that aimed to impressively showcase the students' work in the dome of the igloo. The team opted for almost one hundred animated 3D fish, which had been drawn by the students in a previous module. These were animated fish that were integrated into an underwater scene in which the fish constantly circle around the viewer. Music plays in the background, to which the fish react and swim faster or slower depending on the frequency analysis. Furthermore, texts written by the students appear in bubbles to give the whole thing a more personal touch. The audience can interact with the fish by controlling a small submarine and thus influencing their movements.
It was a first attempt to produce interactive content for the Igloo using the Unity game engine.
Source: suedostschweiz
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