When the BBC decides to create immersive content there always seems to be good reason behind it, with the company focused on highlighting important subject matter. Today is no different, with the BBC VR Hub announcing two new virtual reality (VR) experiences; Make Noise and 1943: Berlin Blitz.
Created by BBC VR Hub with Anagram, Make Noise has been inspired by the suffragettes and Emmeline Pankhurst’s advice to ‘make more noise’, using a combination of voice technology and VR. Viewers will need to hum, sing and shout along with narrator Nikki Amuka-Bird as they are transported through a series of colourful and abstract worlds that represent the stages of the suffragettes’ struggle.
“BBC VR Hub exists to excite audiences by creating the most enthralling experiences imaginable using the power of VR, and both of these do that, but in very different ways. Make Noise uses voice technology in an innovative way to put you in the shoes of the suffragettes, encouraging you to follow their example and use your voice to change your world. It’s empowering, profound and yet playful, and a great example of why we should follow Emmeline Pankhurst’s advice and ‘make more noise’”, said Zillah Watson, head of BBC VR Hub in a statement.
The second experience 1943: Berlin Blitz puts viewers in the shoes of BBC war correspondent Wynford Vaughan-Thomas. Using the original radio broadcast of Vaughan-Thomas’ report taken from the BBC Archive, the VR experience allows users to retrace his journey on a genuine bombing raid to Berlin at the height of the WWII.
Created by BBC Northern Ireland and Immersive VR Education (Titanic VR), 1943: Berlin Blitz celebrates the 100th anniversary of the RAF.
“1943: Berlin Blitz on the other hand uses VR to breathe new life into the BBC Archive, using an extraordinary piece of journalism to transport you to Berlin at the height of the Second World War,” adds Watson. “It really gives a sense of just how brave the RAF and the BBC’s war correspondents were back then, and providing new context for the threats our colleagues face today when reporting from dangerous situations. For now they’re both available at a small number of select events and screenings, and we hope to launch them to the public later in the year.”
Both experiences are scheduled to be released later this year although no platforms have yet been specified. At the end of this week 1943: Berlin Blitz will be shown at a special preview during the RAF’s International Royal Air Tattoo in Fairford from the 13th – 15th July. For any further updates from the BBC on its VR projects, keep reading VRFocus.