If a film mostly shot on iPhones in Zanzibar covering local social issues can premier at a major New York festival on the world’s largest holographic display, what else is possible?
Springbok Entertainment had the opportunity to premiere the film, Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise, at Tribeca Immersive 2022. Springbok needed a new mind-blowing solution that could power a truly unique, never-before-seen experience.
The immersive film entries to the festival would be shown in an “immersive arena” rather than a traditional theater. Springbok identified an opportunity here to present the only group experience in the space, with its competition leveraging single-user AR and VR technology.
The Tribeca Immersive selection team and competition jury were extremely impressed with the premiere XR experience that linked thoughtful storytelling and emerging 3D technologies, showcased on the world’s largest holographic display.
The greatest technologies are those that heighten our sense of connection to our humanity. At Springbok, we believe that Looking Glass has reached that balance and created a technology where limitless applications are now possible. - Brandon Zamel, CEO of Springbok
Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise is a 3D content experience, and Looking Glass is the only way to display native 3D content to large groups of people with no headsets required. Springbok decided to leverage the Looking Glass 65’’—viewable by up to 100 people at once—to create the most breathtaking and communal experience possible. With the release of the Looking Glass 65” only preceding Tribeca by days, the activation was the public debut of the world’s largest holographic display.
For the film, Springbok focused its innovative lens on the impact climate change bears upon those least likely to have their voices heard. Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise tells the story of two women who achieve financial independence in a male-dominated culture by farming seaweed—an ingredient found in everything from ice cream to medicine. When climate change decimates the seaweed supply, the women’s resilience and strength enable them to pivot to an alternative profession—sea sponge cultivation. But climate change continues to threaten their existence.
In CEO Brandon Zamel’s words:
Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise is the culmination of years of development at Springbok Entertainment in custom capture and post production pipelines for holographic cinema. State of the art technologies, such as LiDAR, photogrammetry and artificial intelligence are combined to deliver a brand new type of experience, in which its full impact and immersion could only be realized on Looking Glass’s holographic displays.
The process proved that creating holograms out of 3D content can be simple and seamless.
Springbok’s expert storytelling paired with a breakthrough holographic implementation resulted in pure movie magic. Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise was the only group-viewable experience at Tribeca Immersive, creating an inspiring and palpable connection between the century-old tradition of cinema and the future of content display technology.
With the holographic film set up in the most central real estate in the entire activation hall, it became an instant crowd favorite. The activation made a geographically remote issue feel immersive and, therefore, close to home for the audience viewing it in New York City. Springbok already plans to leverage the unique Looking Glass hardware and software solutions in future activations. This special collaboration provides a glimpse into a connected, democratized media future.
Springbok Entertainment is a leader in immersive storytelling, with a passion for both traditional Hollywood storytelling and emerging technologies. The team is composed of award-winning experts in filmmaking and XR fields. It has produced a number of the industry's first and leading examples of interactive volumetric video, VR and AR productions, and most recently, holographic filmmaking and experiential marketing activations.
