Back in 2017, I had the incredible opportunity to work with director Michael Gray and the wonderful School for Life Foundation on something truly special – creating a VR experience that would transport 600 black-tie guests from a fancy ballroom straight to the heart of Uganda.
The brief was exciting: instead of showing the usual fundraiser video, we wanted to give guests an immersive experience of the Foundation's schools through virtual reality.
Sounds great, right? The hard thing was that it was still the early days of filming in 360 VR, so it required a lot of battery power and memory cards, and we were heading to one of the most remote locations imaginable.
Sounds great, right? The hard thing was that it was still the early days of filming in 360 VR, so it required a lot of battery power and memory cards, and we were heading to one of the most remote locations imaginable.
Our 360 camera was a 6-camera composite rig, which sounds impressive until you realize that's 6 times the batteries, 6 times the memory cards, and 6 times the potential for things to go wrong. In remote Uganda, that's exactly what happened – SD cards started failing, cameras got scratched, and our card reader broke.
Thank goodness for backup plans and extra gear! We had 2 full sets of memory cards & batteries, with the intention of using 1 set while the other backed up / charged, but by the end of the week it was just "use what works". The scratched camera lenses were harder, as they were fixed lenses in the camera, but we had thought ahead and brought a few spare. Before the trip, we were concerned about luggage weight, but afterwards we were very glad we pushed to bring all those spares!
One of our most ambitious shots required a 30-meter dolly move between buildings.
In remote Uganda.
With a heavy 360 camera rig.
The solution?
We built a custom dolly system (nicknamed "Wanda #1") using CNC aluminum for lightweight strength, a hobby car motor for remote control, climbing rope for the perfect strength-to-weight ratio, and some creative castor work for stability. It took serious prototyping, but the shot was worth every hour of R&D.
We built a custom dolly system (nicknamed "Wanda #1") using CNC aluminum for lightweight strength, a hobby car motor for remote control, climbing rope for the perfect strength-to-weight ratio, and some creative castor work for stability. It took serious prototyping, but the shot was worth every hour of R&D.
Then came the Post-Production marathon.
360 stitching software was still in its infancy, so we spent countless hours in After Effects cleaning up seams and making sure the immersive experience was flawless. Sometimes the best results come from pushing technology beyond its comfort zone, and thanks to all the effort we successfully transported 600 guests to Uganda without leaving their seats, creating an unforgettable fundraising experience that connected donors directly with the Foundation's incredible work.
360 stitching software was still in its infancy, so we spent countless hours in After Effects cleaning up seams and making sure the immersive experience was flawless. Sometimes the best results come from pushing technology beyond its comfort zone, and thanks to all the effort we successfully transported 600 guests to Uganda without leaving their seats, creating an unforgettable fundraising experience that connected donors directly with the Foundation's incredible work.
Every project teaches you something new.
This one taught me that having backup plans for your backup plans is never overkill.
Working with passionate organizations like School for Life Foundation and talented directors like Michael Gray reminds me why I love what I do.
When technology meets purpose, magic happens.
This one taught me that having backup plans for your backup plans is never overkill.
Working with passionate organizations like School for Life Foundation and talented directors like Michael Gray reminds me why I love what I do.
When technology meets purpose, magic happens.
Ready to create something extraordinary together?
I'm always excited to collaborate on projects that push boundaries and make a real impact.
Drop me a message – let's turn your ambitious ideas into reality.
I'm always excited to collaborate on projects that push boundaries and make a real impact.
Drop me a message – let's turn your ambitious ideas into reality.
Wanda, our custom dolly rig
Mounted up a long way from home
Wanda in motion!
Checking on the 360 camera rig
Getting set up
Remote monitoring through an iPad
Setting up in a tiny room was tricky
Got to get good audio too!
