Through the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies and evocative storytelling, the immersive natural history series, ecosphere, has been created to enable the audience to experience some of the world’s most remote and wild landscapes from the comfort of their own home.
The VR film
In partnership with Phoria, an award-winning immersive technology studio, Facebook’s Oculus, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Silverback Films, Angie wrote and produced ecosphere with Dan Huertas whilst studying her Master of Creative Industries (MCI) at SAE Creative Media Institute. ecosphere was directed, filmed and edited by Joseph Purdam.
Having an extensive career in journalism, Angie wanted to hone her academic skills whilst deepening her storytelling through film and VR. Embarking on SAE’s MCI has given her an avenue to do this holistically; accessing industry thought-leaders and creative networks, whilst working tirelessly on the capstone project, ecosphere.
“ecosphere is truly one of the most compelling immersive experiences ever made, and it couldn’t come at a more important time in our history. It also came right in the middle of my MCI! The production took 10 months in total, taking me to Bristol for pre-production meetings, then on location in Kenya, Borneo and Raja Ampat. Thankfully, I didn’t have to cancel my master’s studies, and the team at SAE have been incredibly supportive and flexible in accommodating my busy schedule whilst Ecosphere was in production.” said Angie of her experience as an SAE masters student.
The series features never-before-seen cinematic 5.7k stereoscopic VR footage at 60FPS, shot with the latest pre-production 3D-180 cameras. Custom VR stabilising technology allowed filming to take place in technically challenging environments – from the air to the deep ocean.
“This is wildlife documentary filmmaking like you’ve never seen it before,” said Angie.”The synergy of our planet comes to life before your eyes as you’re right there in the midst of it. An unforgettable experience.”
About Angie Davis
Angie is passionate about the future of VR and emerging technologies for immersive educational storytelling, but her talent doesn’t stop there. As she continues her master’s degree, Angie is also writing a pilot episode for a new drama series and developing a 2D documentary, with hopes her holistic creative approach can contribute to positive change in the world.
Find out more about ecosphere and watch the trailer or learn about more Angie Davis’ projects here.
