Case Study
Indianapolis Zoo Dome VR 360º shoot
VR Video Production
THE ASK
Surround visitors with imagination
The Indianapolis Zoo had a great idea for their new visitor center: feature an innovative dome-shaped structure showcasing 360º videos of wild animals to enhance the guest experience. This architectural element was created through a collaboration between The Elumenati, known for their expertise in immersive projection systems, and our sister company MEDIUM Labs, a immersion AR/VR design firm specializing in interactive environments.
The Indianapolis Zoo team needed lots of custom 360º video content for the exhibit, with video of animals, fungi, and plants.
THE APPROACH
In creative partnership with the Indy Zoo and Elumenati, we decided to film some animals and plant species on location at the zoo in 8K, and to source other content from a roster of creators around the globe. We would be granted special access to most animals exhibits, and recruit zoo handlers to help craft our shots.
THE CHALLENGES
Shooting 360º video of wild animals is incredibly difficult – the special cameras record with lenses on all sides completely surrounding the viewer. Animals are curious and startled, so getting a camera near animals can have very unpredictable results.
THE PRODUCTION
Our crew flew to Indianapolis for a several days, and shot hundreds of 360º videos of rhinos, elephants, zebras, kangaroos, flamingos, Kodiak bears, penguins, wild cats, hissing cockroaches, scorpions, and many other animals and plants. We also sourced footage from wild animals from all over the world.
THE RESULT
Elevating the Zoo's image
The Indianapolis Zoo unveiled it’s new guest welcome center and entry experience on Memorial Day Weekend 2023 to packed crowds and great reviews:
“One of the more unique aspects of the new entry experience is “Our Living Planet” — a series of short 360 degree nature videos where people get up close to orangutans, elephants, gorillas, Arctic foxes, bison and even some of the zoo’s own meerkats. Those videos are projected inside a rotunda, giving people a 360-degree view of nature’s most majestic creatures.
“We have a total of 30 or more of these videos, and they’ll play every minute or two minutes, and get to have this cool experience before heading out to the next animal experience,” said Bill Street, senior vice president of the Indianapolis Zoo. “No matter how many times you come here, you’re likely always going to have a new video you haven’t seen before.”
