Subvrsive Creates 360° Director's Commentary for Deepwater Horizon

By:

Fiona Hutcheson

Fiona Hutcheson
360 Video
 

Subvrsive Creates 360° Director's Commentary for Deepwater Horizon

Back in August, Lionsgate approached our team at Subvrsive to create an immersive 360° experience to support the digital and Blu-ray release of their latest biopic disaster film, Deepwater Horizon. Needless to say, we couldn’t have been more excited to work with their incredibly talented team.

With over 100 Academy Award nominations, and 17 Golden Globe nominations just this year, Lionsgate has produced some of the most beloved and highly acclaimed films of all time. And Deepwater Horizon is no exception. Directed by Peter Berg and edited by Colby Parker Jr., this powerful film tells the unforgettable story of one of the greatest man-made disasters in our nation’s history.

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o celebrate the digital release of the film and to provide fans of the movie with a unique in-the-room experience with Peter and Colby, we worked with Lionsgate to create an immersive director's commentary filmed entirely in 360°. Unlike standard director’s commentaries, this 360° version gives viewers their very own seat in the screening room with Peter and Colby as they banter about their working relationship and discuss all that went into telling the story of Deepwater Horizon.

Focusing on three scenes from the film, this new spin on the traditional director’s commentary allows viewers to feel present in the conversation and see the discussion visually unfold all around them. We used a combination of behind-the-scenes footage, renderings, and sketches to illustrate various special effects used in the film and to surround viewers with a visual story as Peter and Colby talk. Rather than being forced to look in a specific direction, as is the experience with traditional video, this 360° experience allows viewers to look wherever they want - from Peter to Colby to the very scenes they’re discussing - so no two viewers will experience the commentary in quite the same way. This contextual immersion brings new life to the discussion and creates a captivating experience that redefines what a director's commentary can be.

We couldn’t be more pleased with the way this project turned out, and we hope you enjoy experiencing it as much as we enjoyed making it!

To see the finished piece for yourself, download the free Deepwater Horizon VR app through the Apple App Store or Google Play, and to read more about this project, click here.

Also, be sure to check out our behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot below.