SKODA
HERITAGE VR
The first major collaboration with the then emerging Brainz VR / Immersive studio, combining experience from filmmaking, 3D with virtual worlds. Close collaboration with creative director Petr Hanousek, Brainz VR manager Robin Pultera, project developer Ondřej Pultera and account manager Jana Gálisová and, of course, very intensive creative communication on the development of the project with colleagues from ŠKODA AUTO marketing.
The project was divided into two main chapters. In the first part, the viewer is introduced to the virtual guides V. Laurin and V. Klement (the founders of ŠKODA AUTO), who take us on a virtual tour of famous Prague sites such as Charles Bridge, Prague Castle or Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock. The second part is a drive in an elegant period car ŠKODA L&K 110 around Hradčany, the seat of the Czech kings. The magical ride is enlivened by dozens of actors in period dress and with their small/big stories that make you feel like you are traveling through time.
Based on the wishes of the client and director Petr Hanousek, we have selected the most interesting and most visited locations in Prague.
A. Prague Castle overlooking the Lesser Town
B. Novotny Bridge with a view of Charles Bridge
C. And finally Old Town Square with the historic astronomical clock
D. Hradcany with the square for the historic L&K car ride
The original physical capture and 360° shooting at these locations (A/B/C) was eventually discarded and, also taking into account the exposed nature of the locations, we finally went the third way by digitizing the environment and converting it into 3D. This turned out to be a lucky choice, because shortly after I documented the Prague Astronomical Clock, it was under reconstruction for a long time.
During the project I was also very intensively involved in the pre-production of the set. One of the first parts of the preparation was the creation of a picture script / storyboard. Several versions were created as we changed the script and the intended route of the historical ride through Prague.
The central motif was undoubtedly the beautiful and elegant ŠKODA L&K 110, which was modelled and textured in 3D by digital artist Štěpán Prokop.
During the realization of the virtual Prague, I have been working on the detailed documentation of known Prague locations and their subsequent transformation into 3D in the game engine Unity. For the reconstruction of the environment we used dozens of photographs and videos taken at various locations in Prague. With the help of photo reconstruction we converted them into 3D and then populated them with 3D Assets, models, animated effects etc. in the Unity engine.
Another very intensive preparation was necessary for the realization of the historic ride. Considering the complexity of the set and the complex set design devised by director Petr, I decided to create a detailed map with a description of each scene, the layout of the actors in the environment and a hint of the actions for better orientation in a single three-minute shot.
PRAGUE CASTLE SHOT / FILMMAKING
agency / studio : Brainz VR / Immersive
directed by Petr Hanousek
production : Punkfilm
Prague's Hradčany was the main location for the filming of the historic ride. The production was all the more difficult for the film crew because there was no backstage during the 360° shoot and such a long ride. We all had to be absolutely hidden from the view of the "all-seeing camera". The filming took place in the production of PunkFilm, under the direction of director Petr Hanousek, and involved approximately 100 actors and extras. On set, I worked as a VFX supervisor and did documentation for other creative work in VR.
The footage of the historic ride alone, without cut, was three minutes long. For the filming we used a 360° film camera NakedEYE from the Austrian manufacturer indiecam, at that time it was one of the few 360° cameras that could shoot in RAW format. It was one of the biggest shoots I have ever experienced in Prague during a film shoot. But PunkFilm's film production managed it very well.
In a short film you can take a look behind the scenes of the project. In addition to pre-production preparations, casting and film production. You can see the studio shooting and reaction shots of the first viewers who had the chance to see the final virtual experience in action. It was a very interesting production that gave us a lot of new experiences.
In the video below you can watch the online 2D 360° version of the video, which of course cannot replace the 3D experience with the virtual helmet, but can give you an idea of the overall atmosphere of the final experience.
idea maker
visual artist
creative director
