Hawai'i VR
Hawai'i Tourism Authority
Glide into paradise through an immersive virtual reality experience with the world's first VR experience that combines interactivity with live-action footage. 'Hawai'i VR' was a collaborative endeavour for our award-winning VR Studio and Framestore Pictures teams, who managed the production of the incredible shoot. This joint venture pushed the technical and creative capabilities of each team, with both departments determined to showcase the stunning environments and emotive stories at the highest possible quality.
The Experience
‘Hawai’i VR’ explores virtual sightseeing of spectacular landscapes, including coastlines, waterfalls and rainforests, and is coupled with enticing activities such as hula, surfing and catamaran sailing. The 360° footage was shot across four islands: O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and the island of Hawai‘i. The virtual tour begins with the user floating as a paraglider through clear blue skies above the islands. The user selects an island to explore, then gently descends into the midst of a tour experience highlighting that island’s particular allure, environment and attractions. An island-based resident narrates as the tour guide, providing a personal perspective and advice on what to enjoy.
“In terms of creative it was about trying to capture lightning in a bottle. We were showing off the natural beauty of Hawai’i so we were always at the mercy of the elements."
Murray Butler - Director, Framestore Pictures
Pre-production
Framestore Pictures shot across multiple environmental terrains including aquatic adventures for both the Surfing and Catamaran experiences. During pre-production a custom rig was mounted to a monopod on a paddleboard and took out on the waves to conduct test stitches prior to shoot day as well as a local New York crew riding the Hudson River for practice. Ample testing and bespoke camera rigging resulted in the use of the Odyssey and Freedom 360 rigs with six GoPro cameras. The Framestore crew were amazing at anticipating the challenges—whether it be water proofing, heat issues, low-light and everything else that comes with Hawai'i's exotic beauty. We did lots of homework.
"To me that's the sweet spot - working with a tight-knit crew with meticulous planning: Framestore’s ability to R&D ideas and workflow in pre-production and on location ensures that our execution and delivery is second to none"
Murray Butler - Director, Framestore Pictures
Available for Download
‘Hawai‘i VR’ is customized for mobile and tethered platforms. The gaze of a user’s eyes controls selections from a mobile device, while the tethered experience is operated with Vive controllers, as the user holds them in the same way as the handles of a paraglider.
Hawai‘i VR is being launched with virtual tours of O‘ahu and the island of Hawai‘i on HTC Vive and iPhone. It can be downloaded for HTC Vive on Steam and on the iOS App Store for iPhone (https://appsto.re/us/8bh8eb.i).
Partners
Framestore worked with MVNP, an integrated advertising agency based in Honolulu and an Affiliate Agency of DDB Worldwide and OMD’s Zero Code, the world’s most celebrated specialty group focusing on gaming and virtual reality.
"Powerful experiences arise when audiences are encouraged be part of the story—we focused on creating surprise and delight taking consumers places even they could not imagine."
Resh Sidhu - Creative Director, Framestore's VR Studio
"Anyone who loves Hawai'i or dreams about coming here is going to be amazed at how they can suddenly be in the islands whenever they want and capture the magic of being here."
Leslie Dance - VP of Marketing and Product Development, Hawai'i Tourism Authority
