Giant Immersive Installation

Swim with the penguins at Outernet, Europe’s largest LED screen

London Zoo wanted to make a splash for the summer holidays. Convincing key audience segments – families and tourists – to make it a destination. 

They needed to do something bold, exciting and innovative to stand out. So they approached Circus to capture one of their most popular attractions – Penguin Beach – in a new way. And turn it into an immersive public experience at the iconic Outernet – the largest 360 screen in Europe at four storeys high, attracting over 6 million visitors annually.

The zoo had never before attempted to film or record sounds from these charismatic Humboldt Penguins underwater. And Outernet had never showcased real-world 360 video before, because it was thought that it couldn’t be produced at the huge 18K resolution the screens required.

Challenge accepted!

We sourced a custom underwater 360 camera rig – of which there are only four in the world – and got to work planning how to capture the footage, without being able to get into the water with the penguins. 

This involved constructing a dummy camera rig to help the birds get accustomed to its presence in the run-up to production. Then installing a tensioned cable above the pool, with a remote controlled dolly which could carry the camera out over the water, and lower it to the perfect depth. 

Weather on the day of shooting was perfect! Blue skies and fluffy clouds. And the zookeepers came armed with laser pointers, which the penguins love to chase, and allowed us to choreograph their movements towards and around the camera, making full use of the 360 field of view. 

London Zoo penguin keeper Shannon Quinn said, “The penguins are very curious by nature, so they were definitely  intrigued by the 360° camera equipment”. They didn’t wait long to take a few exploratory  pecks at the camera, its casing withstanding some nips from the colony’s most curious penguin, Phineas. 

After a successful day’s filming, it was back to the studio for post-production. Narrowing down to the strongest sequence and then painstakingly removing the rigging cables and excess leaves from the water. We adjusted the 360 projection from a sphere to an onion shape, to help make the penguins stand out on-screen. And, as a last step, used an AI-powered workflow to squeeze some extra resolution from the source footage, bringing it up from 16K to 18K. 

The final visuals were then synced with a custom audio track, made up from recordings taken underwater with specialised hydrophones. Then embellished with spatial sound effects to accentuate the squawks audible from the surface and the bubble trails left by the swimming penguins. The final audio was mixed on-site for maximum impact.

Finally, launch day and hundreds of people waiting eagerly outside the building at Tottenham Court Road for the ‘Penguin Paradise’ immersive experience. Their reactions were even better than we and the zoo had hoped. Gasps from the adults, squeals from the children. And plenty of prospective zoo visitors scanning the custom QR codes positioned on digital panels around the space. 

A huge thanks to all involved. Not least the penguins!