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Octonauts - "VR Great Barrier Reef Adventure"

“VR Great Barrier Reef Adventure”
Octonauts

Client: Octonauts / Silvergate Media
Agency: Secret Location
Role: Director
Date: Winter 2016

THE PROJECT

After finishing an amazing 360 VR music video for Morgan Page, the team at Secret Location approached me to work on a project for Silvergate Media’s “Octonauts” brand. It would be their first-ever 360 experience that would premiere on YouTube, so they needed a team that could handle the workload. I would have access to all the production assets from Silvergate, we just had to build the experience and integrate some actual footage from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef into a fun adventure. So buckle your seatbelts, Octo-Cadets, it’s time for an adventure!

The original concept script

PRE-PRODUCTION

The main experience would take place over three distinct scenes. The Opening Scene in the Launch Bay, which would feature Captain Barnacles, Tweak and Turnip getting the Octo-Alert to find the “Crown of Thorns” starfish out in the reef and count them to make sure the reef is healthy. Then the Diving Scene, featuring the GUP-E submarine, its pilot Turnip, and Captain Barnacles touring the viewer through the live-action footage. Finally, the Mission Accomplished scene, where the viewer would return to the Launch Bay after successfully counting the starfish.

We would need to import the scene created by Silvergate, convert it to a 360VR rendering system, then do the animation and sequencing, integrate the GUP-E sub in 360 with the live action footage, and create the many graphical overlays and cues that would need to direct the viewer’s attention.

The original client notes and descriptions for lighting, props, and scene locations

The Launch Bay asset, note that only a part of it was complete to allow the virtual camera to film on one side. We would need to fill that hole because the viewer could look in all directions.

We needed to also convert the GUP-E sub for a 360 render to allow the user to be immersed in the live-action barrier reef footage

The Octonauts assets weren’t designed for a VR experience, so careful consideration had to be made to convert objects to a 360 environment while still remaining faithful to the show.

STORYBOARDS & TESTS

The first scene storyboard giving us the animation timings and key actions. Since this was just hand-drawn, doing a 360 render at this stage was impossible, so the ‘framed’ version was used for client approval.

Early animation tests being made to convert the characters assets from Maya to Blender.

A test showing the original ‘unwrapped’ 360 footage of the great barrier reef and a version of the GUP-E sub superimposed over the top of it to create the sense of being inside the sub itself.

PRODUCTION

With the initial tests and workflow complete, it was time to proceed into production. Previz animatics continued from the team I’d hired to do the animation, while work was also being done to build out the 360 environments and do lighting to match the show. We also worked to stabilize and color correct the Reef footage to make for a less nauseating experience for the viewer.

An initial test adding the “Crown of Thorns” starfish to the 360 footage and sub scene.

A previz sequence showing the ending scene when Turnip and the GUP-E return after a successful mission. Note, this is not a 360 render but merely a camera test.
A test 360 render showing the early animation placement and blocking, along with the animated screen. Also an early test of the 'helpful arrows' that would direct the viewer's gaze.
A closeup of the animation work we did for Turnip. We used the events of the video to trigger his animation as if he was reacting to the video's contents.

FINAL RESULT

The final sequence. When you hit the play button, be sure to click and drag your mouse (or tap and move with your finger!) to look around.

Summary

It was amazing to not only get to work with a major children’s IP like Octonauts, but to receive the added benefit of being able to use pre-existing assets instead of building them from scratch. Converting the sequence over to 360 as well as solving a lot of technical challenges along the way was very satisfying, and the result speaks for itself! Thanks for coming along for the ride, Octonaut!