Samsung Uses Sharks To Launch Virtual Reality Headset

For the launch of its new Gear VR virtual reality headset, Samsung tasked ad agency Leo Burnett to create something exciting.

To demonstrate just some of the potential that this innovative new platform holds, Leo Burnett created a 360-degree film that lets users dive into underwater to swim with the great whites.

Working with surf director Taylor Steele of Rapid VR, Leo Burnett captured underwater footage of the great whites near Port Lincoln, South Australia – including an astounding 360-degree shot of the inside of a shark’s mouth, captured when it attempted to eat the camera rig.

The resulting footage was used to create ‘The Dive’, an immersive 360-degree film created specifically for the Samsung Gear VR – an eerily realistic underwater experience that lets you enter the sharks’ world.

Arno Lenior, chief marketing officer for Samsung Electronics Australia, said: “Beyond the technology itself, what really excites us about the Gear VR is that it’s enabling completely new kinds of experiences, and putting them directly in the hands of our customers. The potential for this platform is huge – and we wanted to create something that would bring some of that potential to life.”

To give online audiences a hint of just how immersive the footage can be, Leo Burnett established a Dive Shop for Samsung in Alice Springs, Central Australia – 1,200 km from the nearest ocean. With the help of director Chris Ireland, The Pool Collective, they invited locals to experience the shark dive using the Samsung Gear VR. Their reactions were filmed and edited into a short content piece to help demonstrate the power of this pioneering device.

For those wanting to experience the shark dive themselves, the experience will be available to view in Samsung Experience Stores in Melbourne and Sydney this week.

Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer Leo Burnett Sydney, said: “The Samsung Gear VR delivers a completely new way to experience immersive content using a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – and the agency has pushed hard to create some absolutely awe-inspiring content to showcase it.”

“Working with new devices rewires how you think – and we relish the creative and technical challenges of these types of projects. Thinking about how content works when a story plays out all around you requires a different mindset.

“It’s not just about being first to do something – it’s about finding the magic and the hidden potential within an innovative technology that will make those new experiences feel truly remarkable.”

The virtual reality headset is powered by the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

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