Virtual reality (VR) has a unique way of bringing history alive, with museums and other institutions using the technology to help visitors visualise past events. And this is exactly what The Viking Planet has done for a new centre opening up this week in Oslo, Norway.
Central to The Viking Planet Centre Oslo will be a VR experience called Virtual Viking – The Ambush, sending guests back in time to board a Viking longboat as it goes on a raid. The project was created in collaboration between Ridley Scott Creative Group’s RSA Films, Hammerhead (ABE, Syren) and Dimension – Hammerhead’s London-based volumetric capture studio.
Using 106 cameras which generate 10GB of data per second, over 30 actors performances were captured in the studio for Virtual Viking – The Ambush, in a recording area only 8ft across. Meaning careful amalgamation was required to bring all the actors into each scene. And to give each actor and scene that look of authenticity Hammerhead used historically accurate weapons and props whilst employing Unreal Engine to bring the experience to life.
“We are extremely happy to have collaborated with RSA Films and Hammerhead on this ground-breaking production and look forward to offering the general public an opportunity to experience how it was to be on board a Viking ship more than 1,000 years ago in a very realistic and captivating way,” says Rasmus Ramstad CEO of The Viking Planet in a statement.
“RSA Films is continually looking for innovative ways to tell compelling stories. Through collaborations such as this unique volumetric capture experience we explore and embrace new technology to match our storytelling ambition,” adds Ridley Scott Creative Group CEO, Luke Scott. “The Virtual Viking – The Ambush project is a terrific example of the kind of immersive experience that challenges the future of storytelling. It is one thing to be a passive audience, it is quite another to be at the heart of the action.”
If you want to see Virtual Viking – The Ambush for yourself then you’ll need to head on over to Norway. The Viking Planet Centre Oslo is a 1,600 square metre interactive entertainment and education centre filled with holograms, interactive screens, and a 270° cinema to create a virtual portal to the era of the Vikings. And it opens tomorrow, 21st June 2019. For further updates from Hammerhead, keep reading VRFocus.
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