Immersive Histories Dambusters
STUDIO — All Seeing Eye
Immersive Histories Dambusters is a historically accurate immersive installation which allows an audience to experience what it may have been like to be on the lead aircraft in the famous WWII RAF mission.
In the ten minute experience audiences wear a virtual reality headset along with a haptic vest allowing them to feel the rumble of the aircraft’s engines around them. Hand tracking also adds another layer of immersion. Finally, the experience is housed inside a 1:1 scale physical recreation of the interior of a Lancaster bomber, perfectly matching the virtual reality visuals. This allows audiences to reach out and feel the fuselage and equipment around them, becoming further connected to the events of mission.
The experience is currently installed at the RAF Museum in London as a ticketed experience.
I was responsible for holding the core vision for the project and leading creative development from its initial funding bid through to it’s final installation and beyond.
“To be able to come here and get even a little bit of a feel for what he might have experienced is very special”
— Katie Briggs, relative of Arthur Buck, 617 Squadron
The project was exhibited at the 2019 BFI Film Festival as a part of the LFF Immersive showcase.
Image Credit — Millie Turner, BFI London Film Festival
“This is a serious investigation into how new technology can be used to interpret history and communicate it to a new generation.”
— Dr Robert Owen, official historian of 617 Squadron
Creating a Realistic Portrayal of Events
Every aspect of the experience was meticulously researched to ensure that it was as historically accurate as possible. Photos of the crew taken directly before and after the mission were poured over to capture the smallest detail in their uniforms, whilst WWII RAF reconnaissance photos of the area were examined to inform the creation of over 6 square miles of historically accurate landscape.
Movements of the aircraft were developed by taking their known locations at specific times and cross referencing them with their relative cruising speed and altitude along with primary accounts of both those on the mission in the air and those on the ground.
The iconic roar of the Merlin engines were recorded from one of only two remaining airworthy Lancasters in the world. Even the skybox was historically accurate, showing correct star positions and weather conditions for the morning of the 17th May 1943.
A personal pleasure has been having the opportunity to showcase the experience to family members of those who were directly involved with the mission. This experience allowed them to understand and experience what their relatives may have seen, heard and felt in more detail than any film or book ever could.
Writing the Script
In the experience the audience is able to sit in the position of the wireless operator or the navigator and throughout they hear the crew chatter over the intercom. This was based on primary accounts from the crew of ‘G’ George as well as research into WWII-period speech patterns and communication conventions. Whilst writing, we tried not to view the crew as characters. They weren’t fictional - They were real life, living and breathing people. Although the crew of ‘G’ George would make it home from the mission which would become their namesake, none would live through to the end of the war.
The public narrative of The Dambusters is rightly one of courage, bravery and audacity. However we felt it important that our experience wasn’t just the story of the RAF crews. It was also the story of those on the ground. Over 1,200 civilians, prisoners of war and soldiers died as a direct result of the mission.
Robert Hutchison
— ‘‘Hutch’
Wireless Operator
Torger Harlo Taerum
— ‘Terry’
Navigator
Project Credits
CREATIVE DIRECTOROllie Lindsey
TECHNICAL LEADAdam Child
CREATIVE LEADOlie Kay
DEVELOPMENTRobin North
3D MODELLING & TEXTURESChris Linington & James Rutter
SCRIPTOlie Kay & Kate Jarrett
PRODUCTIONMartin Jowers
AIRCRAFT TECHNICAL 3DPiotr Forkasiewicz
HISTORICAL CONSULTANTS Dr Robert Owen, Peter Elliot, Andy Renwick & Norman Groom
SOUND EFFECTS & AUDIO DESIGNGareth Fry & Pole Position Audio
SET DESIGNOli Cooper
SCENIC CONSTRUCTIONReis E. Martin
VOICE OVERJay Britton & Sam Deveraux
