EYEREVOLUTION LONDON

Blog

360 Video Social Media Campaign – Swiss & Secret Escapes

The Brief

Secret Escapes briefed Eye Revolution to create aerial 360 video and 360 photography for a Swiss (previously Swiss Air) social media campaign. The brief was to show that holidaying in the mountains and lakes of Switzerland is more exciting than just sitting on a beach. Our viewers would see the 360s and know that there’s more to Switzerland than the skiing. The campaign was for use on Facebook and other social media and in VR headsets.

The Challenges

Our photographer and producer travelled to Switzerland in advance of the main shoot. Their task was to recce locations and capture a range of 360 photography that would be used as teasers in advance of the main launch. The recce built excitement for the main shoot, as we travelled from Zurich down through Lucerne, Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The locations were incredible, with dramatic waterfalls and stunning scenery at seemingly every turn.

The timing of the shoot impacted on the choice of locations. Even in June many areas are still snowy and some mountain routes are still closed. We overcame this obstacle by researching slightly lower locations that would convey ‘summer’ while maintaining that epic Swiss feel.

The Aerial 360 Video Shoot

We planned the shoot meticulously. The logistics of getting the photographer, assistant, drone pilot, producer, 2 models, drones and camera equipment on location in Switzerland, often to several different locations per day – left no room for errors. We had some challenging weather conditions with unusually high rainfall along with mist and poor visibility. As a result, the weather impacted the time we had to shoot. Each day saw us out by a mountain or lake, ready to capture the best light and the breaks in the weather. The final 360 video campaign launched in Summer 2016. Explore Switzerland via the links below.

You can read more about our work from a drone here.
January 19, 2017
The Royal Academy: Sensing Spaces

Art Gallery Virtual Tour

This art gallery virtual tour at London’s Royal Academy allows users to explore the Royal Academy’s Sensing Spaces exhibition.

High quality 360 photography is a valuable marketing tool for galleries, giving prospective visitors a taste of an exhibition.

Additionally, each gallery 360 documents the space, providing an historical document of the exhibition. This can be used to expand the reach of exhibitions, to people who cannot attend due to distance, cost or accessibility. For instance, years after closure, art students, artists and architects can research and thoroughly explore an exhibition.

An art gallery virtual tour also provides gallery curators with a valuable resource, allowing them to look back on past exhibitions.

Sensing Spaces

Sensing Spaces was described by The Guardian as “the most ambitious architectural exhibition by the Royal Academy gallery for decades, occupying its ample main galleries with installations the size of houses.” The exhibition was conceived to allow visitors to draw their own conclusions. They determined for themselves what each space meant to them, and how they would use it. Sensing Spaces was hugely varied in its scope and execution. An imposing monolithic wooden structure by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen (Pezo von Ellrichshausen) let visitors climb up to see the gallery from a new perspective. Then there was the sheer fun delivered by Diébédo Francis Kéré in his honeycomb structure – exhibition visitors were invited to contribute to the architecture, each adding their own straws.

The Royal Academy

The Royal Academy was founded in the 18th Century to promote the education and exhibition of art in Britain. Originally housed in Pall Mall, it eventually moved to its imposing site at Burlington House on Piccadilly in 1868. The Royal Academy gallery is the UK’s third most-visited art gallery*, famed for hosting groundbreaking exhibitions. Each year it hosts the Summer Exhibition, which has run every single year since 1769.

How to use the art gallery virtual tour

There are 6 separate galleries within the Royal Academy gallery virtual tour. Click on the architect’s / architecture practice’s name to view all the images for that installation. You can read about the installation in each gallery by clicking the ‘About this installation’ button on the top right of any 360. Click the link to launch the Royal Academy virtual tour.

If you have any questions about the tour, or to talk about how a 360 tour could work for you, please do get in touch.

*Art Newspaper Review Visitor Figures Survey, April 2019

January 14, 2017
Car 360 – New Land Rover Discovery Interior

At Eye Revolution, we specialise in car 360 views, inviting viewers to get inside cars and really explore them in high resolution detail. We always love shooting Land Rovers and this one was no exception. The all-new Land Rover Discovery is exceptionally luxurious and the photography was challenged to display the car’s level of comfort and attention to detail in absolutely flawless focus.

We shot the car interior 360 in a studio. Back in our London studio, we retouched the desert background in during the post-production. You can read more about how we shoot each car 360 here.

Please click the button above to explore. You can use the buttons on the 360 or your mouse to scroll around. You can also zoom in to see the detail on the dash and seats.

The 360 can be viewed on a computer, on mobile devices, in kiosks and through VR headsets.
January 10, 2017
Abellio Train 360s – Greater Anglia Rebrand

Abellio Train 360s

Abellio have operated Abellio Greater Anglia since 2012. In August 2016, they won the East Anglia rail franchise. The new franchise ‘Greater Anglia’ launched in October 2016. Eye Revolution were commissioned to create the Abellio train 360s to showcase the rebranded train interiors.

360 Images

We created 360 images of both the standard carriages and first class carriages. The 360s give viewers an insight into the differences in classes so they can decide on the best option for their journey.

The Interface

Abellio wanted to showcase the new re-branded train interiors. In addition, they were keen to highlight what makes their train interiors special. Customers and prospects can look around the Abellio train 360s and see hotspots at various points around the carriage. Each hotspot provides info about the comfort and facilities available. Thus the viewers are given the facts in an engaging and memorable fashion.

Click here (opens in a new tab) to View the Standard Class 360.
December 7, 2016
Aerial 360 Gigapixel: Hampstead Heath Autumn

We wanted to test our process for capturing a gigapixel aerial 360, so we stayed local and visited one of London’s greatest open spaces: Hampstead Heath.

We captured this aerial 360 via a drone that we launched near Parliament Hill. Local Londoners can zoom in and view their favourite spots. You can see London’s best kite-flying spot on the hill itself, the Athletics Track, Parliament Hill Lido and beyond it the London skyline.

You can zoom in to see the detail and scroll around to see London’s glorious autumnal colours.

Gigapixel Aerial 360 Hampstead Heath

360 Drone Photography

Working from a drone to capture 360s is a technical challenge, as the 360 is made up of individual photographs ‘stitched’ together. We are very pleased with the result of the test; having a clean stitch and getting the resolution so high is great. Drone photography in London can be tricky as more and more places are introducing restrictions. However, we can offer our clients aerial photography outside built-up areas. Thus, you can choose an 360 like this one, or even opt for us to shoot 360 video from a drone.

Hampstead Heath

North Londoners call it ‘The Heath’; this ancient parkland, mentioned in the Doomsday Book and first recorded even before that. The Heath covers 790 acres and sits on one of London’s highest points. In this 360, down from Parliament Hill, you can see Highgate No.1 pond and the men’s bathing pond. Hampstead Heath offers one of only a few places where Londoners can wild swim. Indeed hardy swimmers are out year round, whatever the weather. Also seen here is Parliament Hill itself, famous as being one of the premier kite-flying spots in the capital. As well as swimming and kite-flying, visitors to Hampstead Heath can enjoy the running track, go angling at the anglers pond and explore many wild spaces.

You can read more here about our work creating drone virtual tours – especially in London.
November 3, 2016
British Airways: Peru 360 VR Experience

From May 2016, British Airways started flying direct from London to Lima – the first such direct flight since 1982. Peru’s stunning landmarks such as Machu Picchu are a must for travellers, and the prospect of a direct and easy journey to Lima is worth celebrating!

We were delighted to travel to Peru for Secret Escapes, capturing the essence of the country in a series of 360 interactive images to promote BA’s direct Lima route. We photographed paragliders soaring over Miraflores Beach; enjoyed being as far as possible from a London commute on the PeruRail trains at Huancayo; visited the Maras salt mines; spent time with the traditional community at Misminay; explored the Monastery at Lima; captured the ancient Inca capital, Cusco; and of course photographed the show-stopping views at Machu Picchu.

Click below to view a 360 timelapse video showing the clouds rolling in over Machu Picchu. You can view this in 8K quality – use your mouse to look a full around 360 degrees.

Misminay Community – please click the image above to launch the 360.

Cusco at night

Machu Picchu – please click the image above to launch the 360.

Sunset at Pasacus – please click the image above to launch the 360.

Santo Domingo Monastery – please click the image above to launch the 360.

Lima Lighthouse Paragliding – please click the image above to launch the 360.
August 1, 2016
Oyster 545 yacht 360 photography

Marketing Yachts with 360 Virtual Tours

We are delighted to have created a yacht 360 for this lovely Oyster 545. An update to the much loved Oyster 54, the yacht features maple joinery and sky blue alcantara upholstery. The Oyster 545 is small enough to fit into snug little French marinas, whilst big enough for offshore sailing in great comfort.

Yacht Photography

Stills photography gives viewers an impression of a yacht’s style. However, stills cannot convey the layout or how it feels to be inside the space, looking all around. 360 virtual tours are an elegant yacht marketing tool. Viewers can navigate around the cabin, understanding the layout as well as appreciating the textures and materials used.

Our photography is high-resolution and incredibly sharp. We have many years experience creating flawless 360s in confined spaces for high end luxury brands in the automotive and aviation sectors. Shooting inside a yacht poses many of the same technical challenges as car or aircraft interiors. Our images are sharp whether you’re viewing an object close-to, or one much further across in a different area. This sounds obvious, but many 360s you see online fail to get this right, and it impacts on the quality of the image and how it reflects on the brand concerned.

Interface

We have created an interface that allows viewers to navigate around the yacht through the different 360s. You can see the aerial layout in the floorplan of the boat (below).

Each white hotspot shows the position of a different 360. You can choose to change location in the boat by using the flootplan hotspots, or by clicking the blue hotspots in any of the boat 360s to go through a door into the next area. Zoom in to see the details and get a closer look at features of interest. Clients can also choose to have info hotspots that give further information within the 360.

Whether you’re a yacht charter company seeking to show off the boats your clients can hire, or a yacht brokerage selling a superyacht or classic sailing yacht, a 360 can help marketing yachts to your prospects in an engaging and interactive manner.

Please click the ‘Launch Project’ button or click here to view the Oyster yacht 360
March 12, 2016
Luke Wright ‘What I Learned from Johnny Bevan’ 360 Video

Our latest 360 Video project is a piece to promote Luke Wright’s new show at the Soho Theatre ‘What I Learned from Johnny Bevan.

Luke’s powerful poetry takes place against a backdrop of London, and you can explore the scene around him as you listen. The show is on from 22 February to 2 March and you can read more and buy tickets at the Soho Theatre page.

January 27, 2016
Jaguar XE Car Interior 360 Interactive

Car interior 360s require an absolutely flawless finish, a perfect representation of the vehicle. The car must be pin-sharp and perfectly focussed on details just centimetres from the camera as well as several feet away. The viewer should feel like the detail is so clear they could almost reach out and touch it. That they can almost feel the textures in the car interior, from leather to brushed aluminium.

The chance to use our skills on a car like the Jaguar XE is a great compliment to us as a photography company. We shot the car in a studio in the UK, and we light it carefully to ensure an excellent finish when the backplate is retouched in. On this example a 360 backplate by Will Pearson was dropped in, showing the car in situ outside Broadcasting House in London.

You can read more about our process for shooting car interior 360s here.

The interface offers the option for viewing this automotive 360 though Google Cardboard or a VR Headset for a more immersive viewing experience.

Please click the ‘Launch Project’ button and go fullscreen. You will be able to use the buttons to zoom in and out and explore all around the Jaguar XE car interior 360.
January 11, 2016
Lavender House

Take a tour around this exceptional North London house in these virtual tours. Lavender House in Hampstead is a stunning £8.5m property. When you view the virtual tour, make sure you look up… the retractable ceilings that bring the outside in operate on a sensor so within a few seconds of the first raindrop, they close to keep the atrium dry. The central water feature isn’t simply a feature – but a swimming pool in which you can take a daily plunge.
December 10, 2015
Dorchester Collection | Hotel 360 Photography

We were delighted to shoot a taster of the Dorchester Collection, a group of luxury hotels around the world. Stills photography often fails to give prospects a true impression of a hotel, beyond what the bed and window look like. Our hotel 360 photography showcases rooms beautifully, allowing the viewer to explore all around them and really appreciate their surroundings. This is especially true of luxury hotels, whose potential visitors are highly discerning. We specialise in flawless, pin-sharp 360 photography that does justice to luxury brands like those in the Dorchester Collection.

The Dorchester Collection makes up some of the world’s finest hotels, and we were proud to be asked to shoot them. These are the hotels we captured.

Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California

The Hotel Bel-Air is famed for its pink stucco and Spanish colonial-style architecture, this is particularly notable in the area around the iconic oval pool.

The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California

Another famously pink hotel, the Beverley Hills Hotel was named the first historic landmark in Beverly Hills, existing before the town itself. The hotel has a special place in Hollywood, as it has played host to thousands of celebrities over more than 100 years. From Fred Astaire to Frank Sinatra, from Elizabeth Taylor to John Lennon; they’ve all been guests at this iconic hotel.

The Dorchester, London

The Dorchester is one of the world’s most prestigious and expensive hotels. It opened in the 1930s and the Art Deco ambience remains today. In this hotel 360 you can see the afternoon tea which is served daily at the Dorchester, a tradition that has been upheld since the hotel’s opening.

Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan

A landmark in Milan, the beautiful Principe de Savoia has played host to celebrities from Charlie Chaplin to David Beckham. Designed in the neoclassical style, the hotel opened in 1927. The Imperial Suite pictured in our hotel 360 lets guests relax in 20’s Italian glamour.

Le Meurice, Paris

Opened in 1815, the rooms are decorated in stunning Louis XVI style. The hotel has a rich and varied history. Its grand setting and central location led to its being requisitioned by the Nazi party in the second world war during the occupation of France. King Alfonso XIII even set up a government in exile at the hotel, having been ousted from Spain in 1931. Salvador Dali, Rudyard Kipling and Mata Hari have all been guests, and Jay-Z and Kanye West have shot videos here.

Please click the ‘Launch Project’ button below to see the 360s of these incredible hotels.
December 6, 2015
Easton Neston House: Stately Home Virtual Tours

Stately home virtual tours at Easton Neston, a mansion in Northhamptonshire.

Easton Neston House

Easton Neston House was designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor for Sir William Fermor, (later Baron Leominster). The house was built in the English Baroque style and was based on the Petit Trianon – a chateau in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. These stately home virtual tours give you an insight into the grandeur of this palatial property.

Stately home virtual tours

We’re always incredibly excited to shoot locations where we’re surrounded by such opulence and fine detail. The challenge is to convey this to the very best of our abilities. We capture a full range of light and shadow, so no detail is lost. Each one of our 360s is hand crafted in post-production to ensure that the colours are true to life, and that the spaces all look their very best. The resolution of all of our virtual tours lets viewers zoom in and really get lost in the detail. The result is tours that could be used for marketing if ever required, but will serve as a record of an important country house at this precise moment in history.

Easton Neston House has never been open to the public. As a result, it’s little known, so we’re very proud that our virtual tours offer a rare glimpse inside this stunning house.

Eye Revolution’s photographic expertise and craftsmanship in post-production ensure the best results for clients. Should you wish to discuss your project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
November 9, 2015
Smeaton’s Tower, Plymouth | Aerial Virtual Tours

Here you can stand high above Plymouth and look out over Plymouth Hoe on a glorious sunny day. This aerial virtual tour was captured at the top of Smeaton’s Tower, Plymouth’s famous ex-lighthouse.

Smeaton’s Tower

Smeaton’s Tower was an 18th century lighthouse that was in use until 1877. Built by John Smeaton, it was eventually defeated by rock erosion. Rather than being demolished, the lighthouse was moved, brick by brick, to Plymouth Hoe where it looks out over Plymouth Sound. From the aerial 360 you can also see Tinside Pool. Tinside is the beautiful Art Deco lido that sits on the cliff above the Sound.

Aerial virtual tours

We’ve been sent up high to shoot aerial virtual tours since the earliest days of 360s. This one is relatively tame at only around 93 steps to the summit (about 72 feet). At the other extreme, we’ve shot from the crane at the top of the Shard under construction – a height of 310 metres (over 1000 feet). Not for the faint hearted! There are challenges in shooting 360s from heights, not least the safety of those on the ground. If you’re looking for an aerial virtual tour, you can be reassured that we are highly experienced in shooting from tall and awkward structures.
October 1, 2015
Canon Expo New York

We are just back from New York, and are proud to have worked on a project for Canon USA – which is a great compliment for us as a photography company. Once every five years, Canon throws open its doors and lets people explore their most cutting edge developments. From 250 megapixel sensors to 8K cinema cameras, the latest VR headsets to video cameras that capture full colour footage in darkness, Wired described this year’s Canon EXPO at the Javits Convention Centre in New York as ‘walking around in a sci-fi movie, except everything around you is a functioning piece of technology’.

Working with Imagination and 360i (Dentsu), Eye Revolution photographed and coded the interface for a 12 node 360 virtual experience for people to explore the EXPO online. There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the virtual tour.
September 18, 2015
ATR 72-500 Interactive 360 Photography

Powered by two Pratt & Whitney 127 engines, the ATR 72-500 is widely recognised as the most cost effective turboprop short-haul regional aircraft. Dynamic Vibration Absorbers and skin damping make the 72-500 as quiet as any aircraft in its class.
June 30, 2015
ATR 72-600 Interactive 360 Photography

The ATR 72-600 has the widest cabin in the turboprop market, featuring the new Armonia cabin and new ergonomic design for greater comfort.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney 127M engines, the ATR 72-600 has enhanced performance on “hot and high” conditions. This very economical aircraft has the lowest seat per mile cost aircraft on the 70 seat segment with significantly lower fuel costs.
June 30, 2015
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 Interactive 360 Photography

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 (DHC8-400) is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW150A engines making it the most powerful turboprop on the market today. This It features the Active Noise and Vibration Suppression (ANVS) system making it as quiet as some jets (hence the Q).

This aircraft was designed with cruise performance and low operational costs at its core, making it one of the best choices for a regional turboprop.
June 30, 2015
Aerial 360 Tours in the Heart of the City

We were lucky enough to shoot aerial 360 tours from the top of 30 St Mary Axe (widely known as ‘The Gherkin’). Here you can explore the images at various times of day and read a little more about the challenges of the shoot.

The Brief

We were briefed by the lovely folk at Bandstand (the creative agency for St Mary Axe) to create a series of 360s from the summit of 30 St Mary Axe. The client required panoramic views from the building in different lights; really letting people experience the incredible views across London at different times of day.

The Challenges

Eye Revolution lead photographer Will Pearson took the shots from a cradle on the exterior of the Gherkin, 180 metres above the City of London. The major concern was that the nodal point (the central point of a lens) is usually in a fixed position. Here, that wasn’t possible as the building is in the way and the nodal point was many metres out on each image. We had to employ all our skills in post-production to ensure that the images blended together seamlessly to create a flawless 360.

The Execution

The high-res aerial 360 tours are displayed in an interface which allows the viewer to click on the different times of day and be taken to the different images. The viewer can also really zoom in and see the detail in the London cityscape.

30 St Mary Axe

Norman Foster’s building was completed in December 2003, and it’s hard to imagine now that it was a controversial addition to the (much emptier) City of London skyline back then. Some critics argued that the modern, quirky design clashed with the historic architecture of London, especially in the vicinity of the Bank of England and the Tower of London. The building was, however, lauded for being environmentally friendly. Its shape is not just for the sake of design – the design reduces wind turbulence at street level, improving environmental comfort for pedestrians. The building’s energy-saving systems allow it to consume 50% less power than a typical office tower of the same size. The The tower’s triangular windows are designed to maximize natural light, minimizing the need for artificial lighting and cutting energy consumption. The triangular windows are designed to maximize natural light, minimizing the need for artificial lighting and cutting energy consumption.

Over 20 years later, the building is an iconic part of London’s cityscape, and has been joined by many other tall buildings. Visible here are The Shard (2012); 20 Fenchurch Street aka ‘The Walkie-Talkie’ (2015); Tower 42 (1981); The Leadenhall Building aka ‘The Cheesegrater’ (2014) & 70 St Mary Axe aka ‘The Can of Ham’ (2019). Click any of the building links to be taken to other 360s of or around those buildings.

Aerial 360 tours from a drone

You can read more about our aerial 360 tours captured from a drone here.
June 30, 2015
Nordic Aviation Capital Aircraft Virtual Tours

The independently owned Nordic Aviation Capital are the world’s largest regional aircraft turboprop trading and leasing company. Nordic Aviation Capital’s current fleet of over 200 aircraft includes ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Dash 8, CRJ 900 and CRJ 1000.

Eye Revolution were recently asked by NAC to create virtual tours of three aircraft in their fleet. We shot these newly refurbished aircraft over two days at Billund in Denmark, where NAC have their global headquarters. We wanted to keep the interiors as true to life as possible to ensure an honest representation of the aircraft, so all the production happened in-camera instead of in post production. This was made a lot easier by the quality of the beautifully refurbished aircraft, a testament to the craftsmanship of NAC’s team.

We photographed the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 an ATR 72-500 and ATR 72-600. Click the links below to take a virtual tour (open in new window).

ATR 72-500

ATR 72-600

Dash 8 Q400
June 29, 2015
Bombardier Global 6000 Virtual Reality

Experience the luxurious cabin of VistaJet’s Bombardier Global 6000. This virtual reality content is compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. To get the full VR experience use your smartphone, click the launch project button above and once the tour has loaded press ‘Enter VR mode’ button, slide your phone into the VR headset and you’re all set.
June 17, 2015
Bovey Castle

Bovey Castle sits on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, UK. This Grade II listed building, once a private residence, is now a luxury hotel with a 18-hole championship golf course.

This 360, featuring Artemis the eagle, is VR enabled. So if you’re viewing this on a smartphone and have a virtual reality headset, then press the ‘Launch Project’ button and place your phone in the headset.
June 2, 2015
Mother Of London Virtual Reality

Please note that these images contain some nudity. Our 360 shoot for “dark fashion” label Mother of London is now VR enabled. Open the link in your smartphone and then place it into a VR headset to experience a fashion shoot with an edge. Stills photography © Allan Amato and 360 interactive images © Will Pearson.
May 28, 2015
Drone 360 – Abney Park Aerial Photography

Drone 360

We’ve been out testing with our drones over Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. We are testing different set-ups to overcome the challenges of drone 360 photography. Images from a drone can be compromised by these challenges – for example, you only get a short fly time, the drones have a tendency to blow around in the wind and the weight of the camera can destabilise it. Because we are capturing multiple images to make into a single 360 image, all these factors can influence the capture. Our testing process enables us to really push the technology as far as possible.

The drone 360 was taken at a height of about 60 metres.

Click here (opens in a new tab) to view the Abney Cemetery drone 360. Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen or your mouse to scroll around a full 360 degrees and zoom in & out to see the detail.

Abney Park, London

The drone 360 was captured over Abney Cemetery, one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven Cemeteries’. The seven are made up of the big Victorian cemeteries: Abney Park; Bromton Cemetery; Highgate Cemetery; Kensal Green Cemetery; Nunhead Cemetery; Tower Hamlets Cemetery and West Norwood Cemetery. Abney Park, on Stoke Newington High Street (Hackney) is also a nature reserve.

London Aerial Photography

It’s fantastic being able to see right across London from such a high vantage point. You can see the streets surrounding Abney Park, and look right over north London to the city skyline. Look out for the London Eye, the Gherkin, Tower 42, the Shard and to the east, Canary Wharf. If you’re a football fan or a north Londoner, you will also be able to spot the Emirates stadium, home to Arsenal Football Club.

Drone Photography

Please get in touch if you would like to talk about the possibility of a drone 360 for your organisation. We can talk you through the drone regulations, where you are allowed to fly a drone, where it’s illegal, and any specific issues for your brief. Drone 360 photography is a fantastic marketing resource when used in the right circumstances and when the images look great. You can read more about our aerial 360 services here.
May 23, 2015
City Three Peaks VR

On Monday 7 September 2015, a select few individuals will undertake the longest civilian abseil in history – The City Three Peaks. They will abseil down The Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater), 20 Fenchurch Street (The Walkie Talkie) and 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin) – the first time members of the public have ever had the opportunity to do so. The event will raise funds for The Outward Bound Trust and The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

Who’s doing this? Just 40 adventurous individuals and organisations who, in exchange for a rope with which to descend these iconic buildings, will aim to reach a fundraising target of £100,000 each.

Working with Magpie Studio, Eye Revolution created Virtual Reality (VR) content to give the abseilers an immersive insight into what they are letting themselves in for. Putting on the VR headset instantly transports them to one of the abseil launch points at the top of The Leadenhall Building. They can look out over the London cityscape and, if they dare, look down at the tiny streets over 200 metres below. The 360 really shows them what the point of no return looks like!

To find out more about The City Three Peaks, donate to the charities involved or even take up the opportunity of a rope in this incredible challenge, please visit the City Three Peaks website.

If you’re viewing this on a smart phone and have a VR headset then click the ‘Launch Project’ button above to start your VR experience.
March 24, 2015
Virtual Reality Comes of Age

What does virtual reality mean to consumers? At present, to the majority, it’s probably something to do with a VR computer game, or a simulator you’d sit in and experience flying a plane.

2015 looks set to be the year that VR comes of age and starts to mean something quite different to us all.

The advent of VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR mean that for relatively little cost, consumers can directly experience a product or venue in the most immersive way possible, without actually being there. This accessibility gives companies a fantastic opportunity to be one of the first to bring a new, mind-altering experience to their customers and prospects.

When pin-sharp, perfect photography is paired with this new platform, it creates an engaging brand experience for people like no other. With 360 video the viewer becomes the director, placed right in the middle of the action, or even at a live sporting event with the best seat in the house. There’s a certain childlike joy in experiencing something that changes your very reality so thoroughly, by taking over your senses and placing you somewhere completely different.

If you have a VR headset you can see some examples using your smartphone. Choose a link below and once the tour has loaded press the headset icon and place your phone in the headset.

– Explore the luxury interior cabin of a private jet.

– Take in the view of London perched on a crane at the top of the Shard.

– Place yourself in the middle of a photo shoot for fashion label Mother of London at The Edison in LA (please note that these images contain some nudity).

To find out more about our Virtual Reality Services click here.

Our article ‘What is Virtual Reality?’ answers some FAQ’s about the technology.

You can also read more about VR Headsets and where to get them by clicking here.

Find out how custom branded Google Carboard VR headsets can bring your VR campaign to life.

Alternatively, if you’d like to find out more about what VR technology can offer, or have a project in mind, please feel free to call us on 020 360 30231 to discuss how we can create content for your virtual reality project.
February 18, 2015
NHS 360 PHOTOGRAPHY – Sussex Partnership Clinics Virtual TourS

360 Photography for the NHS

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust operates 24 clinics specialising in children’s mental health. The clinics are located across Sussex, Kent and Hampshire.

The Issue

It can be a worrying time for children and their families when they are referred to a mental health clinic. The team at Sussex Partnership NHS Trust were keen to make the process straightforward and comfortable for families, even before a patient sets foot inside a clinic. They decided that if children and young people knew exactly what the environment would look like beforehand, then it would hold no surprises for them. This acquaintance with their clinic in advance should help them feel more relaxed about the whole experience. Traditional stills photography could give a small insight into the clinic, but the team were concerned that this wouldn’t give viewers a true familiarity with each clinic’s key areas. 360 photography was felt to offer a more immersive experience for viewers, helping them really become comfortable that they knew what to expect from their surroundings.

The Brief

Sussex Partnership NHS Trust approached us with a view to creating several virtual tours at each of the 24 clinics across the region. They wanted a high-quality, flawless finish, so there were no distractions for viewers from the clinic itself.

The Trust built on this brief for certain clinics with the addition of voiceovers from young people who have previously used their services, talking about how they felt about visiting the clinic and how it helped them. This was intended to further put patients and families at their ease while they explored the clinics.

The Process

As budget is always key when working with any public sector client, our producers worked closely with the Sussex NHS team to plan each region’s shoots in the most time/cost-efficient manner possible. In many instances, we were able to shoot multiple clinics on the same shoot days, thus keeping costs low. Each region’s shoots were planned out so clinics were prepared for the photographer’s arrival, and the areas were clear and ready to be photographed.

In advance of each shoot, we provided clinic staff with a checklist of ways they could ensure that the clinics were well-prepared for the 360 shoot, from adding flowers to reception areas to ensuring dead light-bulbs were replaced.

After the regions shoots, all the images went into post-production at our studio in London. The interfaces created were rolled out for each clinic, with all areas labelled and thumbnail navigation to move the viewer through the different areas.

Audio

Eye Revolution provided the equipment and support for the client to create the audio in-house. This allowed them to find the right young people to create reassuring voiceovers, and to take their time over each one. Once they were happy with the final recording session, the audio was uploaded to us and we cleaned it up and edited it before adding it to the selected 360 virtual tour (this process is ongoing).
January 17, 2015
Talacre Lighthouse

Historic building virtual tours of the Point of Ayr Lighthouse (also known as Talacre Lighthouse), which is the oldest lighthouse in Wales. It’s situated on Talacre Beach in North Wales, not far from Prestatyn.

Talacre Lighthouse was built in 1777 in response to the 1775 storms where 2 ships ran aground at a cost of 200 lives and around £40,000 of cargo. The lighthouse has featured in a Dulux Paint TV commercial.

When exploring the 360s, be sure to check out the views from the gallery, standing next to the 7ft stainless steel sculpture of the lighthouse keeper.

Our historic building virtual tours have displayed Royal palaces, lighthouses, stately homes, historic golf clubs and many more. Should you have an historic buildings project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
January 2, 2015
M&S Christmas Campaign: a gigapixel treasure hunt

This year, M&S have created a storm on social media with their festive ‘Follow the Fairies’ treasure hunt campaign.

The campaign idea

The fairies, ‘Magic’ & ‘Sparkle’, perform random acts of kindness, such as the Cornish primary children getting into school and finding it magically covered in snow! Initially, the two fairies were anonymous, and there was much press speculation about who was behind the Twitter account; who was delivering cupcakes to people in need of cheer and bedding to animal shelters.

The treasure hunt

We created a hi-res panorama looking out over the London cityscape. Viewers are invited to ‘find the fairies’. The interactive gigapixel image allows users to zoom very close in to see the detail. Hidden in the image are 13 fairies, when the users find them, they tweet about it and could end up as a recipient of a random act of kindness! Often, items in a treasure hunt like this are added in post-production. In this case, there were actual models positioned in various spots around London, in touch with the producer so they knew when to be ready for the capture.

The shoot was great fun (though rather chilly for the 13 fairies) and we’re delighted to have been a part of one of the sweetest festive campaigns ever run.

The M&S gigapixel treasure hunt was fairly easy and participants should have found all the fairies fairly easily. We have worked on other gigapixel treasure hunts where participants have lost the whole weekend searching for codes. You can discover more gigapixel projects here.
November 12, 2014
Canon Live Visit at photokina, Cologne

The Brief

Global creative communications agency Imagination partnered with Eye Revolution to create the Canon Live Visit, a virtual tour of the Canon stand at photokina. photokina is the world’s leading photography and imaging fair, taking place in Cologne. With more than 180,000 visitors from over 150 countries, photokina is an opportunity to engage with a huge audience of photography consumers – both professional and amateur. We were briefed to shoot Canon’s stand upon completion and create 5 360 images with a variety of content within for viewers to experience the Canon stand. The interface should ensure customers around the globe were in effect welcomed onto the stand to see the new products for themselves. Canon wanted the 360 Live Visit to be live online close to photokina’s opening day.

The Challenges

The brief required that the Live Visit went live as close to the actual opening of photokina as possible. We knew we would have to work around the stand being completed, whatever time of the day or night that was, we would be on standby to shoot. The hope was that the stand would be complete and empty ready for us to shoot the evening before opening. Not only would the 360s have to be ready for the launch the next day, but the interface (in 6 languages) with hotspots opening movies, product pages, etc would have to be seamlessly integrated for launch too. As one of the world’s biggest and best camera manufacturers, we felt it an enormous compliment (and not a little daunting) to be asked to create images for Canon. It goes without saying that the images had to be absolutely flawless, however short the turnaround time allowed.

The Execution

We had done as much of the programming framework as possible in advance. We started shooting after midnight and were shooting into the early hours of the morning. The shoot was demanding as there were many staff members still working on last minute touches to the event space that couldn’t appear in the final 360s. We had our programmers and retouchers on standby in London waiting to work on the files and get everything in place. The 360s and content were all being approved in the morning and the entire project went live on the opening day as planned.

The Results

The tour features five 360-degree interactive panoramas, allowing virtual visitors around the world to roam around the Canon stand. The experience includes clickable hotspots, highlighting key messages and providing content relating to products across the Canon range, in 6 languages. Each hotspot includes links to related movies and product pages as well as Live Stage Presentations and ‘Canon Live TV’ daily episodes.

Please click here to launch the tour.

Awards

2015 Conference Awards: Shortlisted for Best Conference by an Events Agency category.
Canon Europe President’s Award: Imagination won the award for oustanding innovation at Photokina Cologne 2014.

Notes

This was a live event and the Live Visit contains many links to external YouTube content, over time some of these links may no longer work.
September 17, 2014
Bombardier Global 6000

The Bombardier Global 6000 sets the benchmark in the ultra-long-range jet category. With a range of 6000 nautical miles it can satisfy the needs of the most demanding business traveller. Coupled with a 13 hour flight range and great short-field capabilities it opens up a host of no-stop remote global destinations.

VistaJet’s Brand Director Nina Flohr was the creative mind behind the customised luxury interior cabin design and on-board experience of this Global 6000. The final design was completed at the Bombardier Completion Center in Montreal, Canada.

Facts:
Passenger capacity: 15
Sleeping positions: 7
Flying hours: 13:00
Crew: 3
Cabin length ft/ms: 48.42 ft (14.76 m)
Cabin height ft/ms: 6.2 ft (1.91 m)
Cabin width ft/ms: 8.17 ft (2.49 m)
High speed: 590 mph (950 km/h)
Typical cruise speed: 564 mph (907 km/h)
Maximum altitude ft/m: 51,000 ft (15,545 m)
Maximum range nm/km: 5,998 m (11,110 km)
Baggage capacity ft³/m³: 195.00 ft3 (5.52 m3)

Learn about out 360 photography service for the Aviation Industry

July 30, 2014
Bombardier Learjet 60 XR

The mid-sized Bombardier Learjet 60 XR is an extra-light, medium-range business jet which has the fastest time-to-climb rating in its class. This updated model takes the legendary performance of the Learjet to a new level. Great efficiency and low operating costs combined with a true-stand up cabin, providing ample seated head and shoulder room, make than this an excellent choice for the business traveler.

With a certified flying altitude of 51,000 feet (15,545 m) it can cruise above the busy lower flight lanes and clear of bad weather, it also boasts an impressive cruising speed of Mach 0.81.

VistaJet’s Brand Director Nina Flohr was the creative mind behind the customised luxury interior cabin design and on-board experience of this Learjet 60 XR. The final design was completed at the Bombardier Completion Center in Montreal, Canada.

Facts:
Passenger capacity: 6
Sleeping positions: 0
Flying hours: 5:30
Crew: 3
Cabin length ft/ms: 17.67 ft (5.39 m)
Cabin height ft/ms: 5.71 ft (1.74 m)
Cabin width ft/ms: 5.95 ft (1.81 m)
High speed: 536 mph (863 km/h)
Typical cruise speed: 521 mph (839 km/h)
Maximum altitude ft/m: 51,000 ft (15,545 m)
Maximum range nm/km: 2,283 m (4,480 km)
Baggage capacity ft³/m³: 48.00 ft3 (1.36 m3)

Learn about out 360 photography service for the Aviation Industry

July 25, 2014
Bombardier Challenger 605

The Bombardier Challenger 605 business jet offers an exceptional flight experience for up to 12 passengers and boasts a high cruising speed of Mach 0.82. Combine this with great cost efficiency and a range of 4,000 nautical miles you begin to understand its appeal for the demanding business traveler.

The cockpit is kitted out with the latest flight deck technology featuring a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with four large LCD screens and integrated menu control.

VistaJet’s Brand Director Nina Flohr was the creative mind behind the customised luxury interior cabin design and on-board experience of this Challenger 605. The final design was completed at the Bombardier Completion Center in Montreal, Canada.

Passenger capacity: 12
Sleeping positions: 5
Flying hours: 8:00
Crew: 3
Cabin length ft/ms: 28.25 ft (8.61 m)
Cabin height ft/ms: 6.7 ft (1.85 m)
Cabin width ft/ms: 7.91 ft (2.41 m)
High speed: 541 mph (870 km/h)
Typical cruise speed: 528 mph (850 km/h)
Maximum altitude ft/m: 41,000 ft (12,497 m)
Maximum range nm/km: 3,995 m (7,400 km)
Maximum range hours: 8:00
Baggage capacity ft³/m³: 115.00 ft3 (3.25 m3)

Learn about out 360 photography service for the Aviation Industry

July 24, 2014
KLM New World Business Class Virtual Tour

Eye Revolution are delighted to have created a business class virtual tour for KLM.

KLM, the Dutch national airline, has launched its new World Business Class. This enhanced class being introduced as the fleet is upgraded has a bigger dedicated space, complete with its first lie-flat seats. There are fewer seats, giving passengers much more room, seats come with privacy canopies and 17” screens, and a very sweet sustainability story is that the carpets are all made from recycled materials, including old KLM stewardess uniforms!

What better way to show customers and prospects the benefits of the new World Business Class than to put them into the seat and let them explore it in their own time. Eye Revolution created a high definition 360 degree virtual tour from the seat itself for use in advertising on the WeChat app in China. WeChat is one of the world’s biggest standalone apps, with over a billion users, connection people all over the world.

It was a great delight to work with the brand & marketing teams, whose pride and genuine enthusiasm for their aircraft and the KLM new World Business Class cabin was utterly infectious.

There were two 360’s captured for this project, a business class virtual tour and an economy class tour.

July 18, 2014
Bombardier Challenger 850

The Bombardier Challenger 850 features one of the largest and most comfortable corporate cabins available today, combining the capabilities of a larger aircraft with the flexibility and comfort of an execute jet. The expansive cabin provides the flexibility to deliver customised solutions for any corporate requirement. With a non-stop range of 5,200 km and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.80 it can satisfy the needs of the most demanding business traveller.

On the avionics side the generously sized and superbly organised cockpit features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 suite with 4 six-tube EFIS,
EICAS with two dedicated screens, X-Band Digital Color Weather Radar System and much more, making it a pure pleasure to fly.

VistaJet’s Brand Director Nina Flohr was the creative mind behind the customised luxury interior cabin design and on-board experience of this Challenger 850. The final design was completed at the Bombardier Completion Center in Montreal, Canada.

Facts:
Passenger capacity: 14
Sleeping positions: 7
Flying hours: 6:30
Crew: 3
Cabin length ft/ms: 48.42 ft (14.76 m)
Cabin height ft/ms: 6.07 ft (1.85 m)
Cabin width ft/ms: 7.91 ft (2.41 m)
High speed: 528 mph (850 km/h)
Typical cruise speed: 521 mph (839 km/h)
Maximum altitude ft/m: 41,000 ft (12,497 m)
Maximum range nm/km: 2,807 m (5,200 km)
Baggage capacity ft³/m³: 247.00 ft3 (7.00 m3)

Learn about out 360 photography service for the Aviation Industry

July 8, 2014
The Balvenie

Many clients require our services to make the most of their locations, so we offer advice to prepare the location for the shoot, and then utilise our expertise on the shoot and in post-production to elevate the location and the brand. It is rare to have the opportunity to shoot 360s for a brand that has such history, confidence and beauty that it needs no elevation. The locations and the heritage simply speak for themselves.

The Balvenie is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in North East Scotland, and their agency, The Communications Agency, asked Eye Revolution in to create finely crafted 360s to show the various stages in the full whisky making process. During the 3 day shoot, we captured one of the barley fields, with views over to the stunning Balvenie Castle. The field was in its post-harvest state, awaiting ploughing for the next year’s crop of barley. The malting, mashing, distilling (spot the Balvenie coppersmith tending the still), and finally ageing and blending. You can also spot David Mair, the Distillery Ambassador, using the ‘dipping dog’ to test the results of their craft.

The whisky is known and loved by connoisseurs worldwide, with the ‘Fifty’, commanding prices of £20,000 per bottle. Whether your budget runs to £30, £300 or more, as a whisky devotee, you cannot fail to be moved by seeing inside this historic, traditional distillery, where the views have largely remained unchanged for more than 120 years.

You can find out much more about the whisky making process at The Balvenie web site.
June 30, 2014
Marks & Spencer Training

The Brief

M&S asked us to make a tool to help unite their brand throughout their 480 international stores. Traditionally a flagship store was elected every year and then key people were invited to visit and take time to understand the main features, which were documented for them on paper. M&S wanted a solution that allowed Visual Merchandising teams to understand and implement the high standards of VM seen in the flagship store in their own local stores. This would offer VM teams a journey around the store, highlighting key features. Because this would be visually engaging and be viewed on iPads, this was more likely to be used and referred to again and again, rather than gathering dust, as the manuals had been.

The brief also required a CMS (content management system) for team leaders to manage key information, so they could add, edit and remove VM info in-house as they wished.

The Challenges

The tours featured several hundred info points, and this was a huge amount of content to pull together and programme elegantly.

The Execution

Shooting the flagship stores was a pleasure. We had to schedule the shoots for times when the stores were closed so there were no people in shot, and the shop and products would be perfect. However the lack of staff at those times also meant that we had to pitch in to ensure the VM was perfect – photographers aren’t known for their ability to tie ties well, but we think we stepped up to the occasion.

We completed much of the structure for the CMS in advance of the shoots, so as soon as the 360 images were ready, much of the content was already loaded and just needed to be programmed in to the precise locations within each 360. This enabled a swift turnaround.

The Results

In the past, M&S had to fly key staff members out to the flagship international stores. Not only was this a great expense with travel, accommodation and subsistence costs, and required staff to host them and train them, but it was hard to ensure that the information was disseminated to staff back in each local territory. With compelling content on handy iPads, it was easier to ensure that every VM staff member thoroughly understood the VM guidelines. And the travel bill and carbon footprint were massively reduced too.
June 1, 2014