WILDBEAR ENTERTAINMENT CREATES STUNNING IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS TO NEW WW1 CENTRE
WildBear Entertainment, one of Australia’s leading producers of factual content for the domestic and international TV markets, is pleased to announce the completion of a unique three-year project – to create more than 60 individual and memorable films and media pieces for the new Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux, France. https://vimeo.com/263454284
Launching yesterday, ANZAC Day, the Sir John Monash Centre tells Australia’s story of the Western Front in the words of those who served. The Centre – named after the WW1 general and Australia’s most famous commander of the time – is located adjacent to the Australian National Memorial in the grounds of the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery. It was officially opened by the Honourable Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minster of Australia. https://sjmc.gov.au
While most widely known for its TV programmes, WildBear Entertainment has also established itself as a leading provider of multi-media experiences and supporting video materials for exhibitions. These have been hosted in such renowned institutions as the National Museum of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery.
WildBear Entertainment won a competitive international tender for the Sir John Monash Centre project but its long-standing expertise in storytelling, creation of compelling content from archive footage and production of absorbing programming about war – such as the new 8 x 60’ series Battles Won and Lost – made it a natural partner for Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, who oversaw the Centre’s development and construction.
WildBear’s extensive team for the project included film and documentary producers, writers, video game developers, special effects experts, sound designers and composers.
Michael Tear, WildBear Entertainment’s CEO, said: “As factual content producers, our job is to inform, entertain and engage – whether that’s for a one-off TV programme or something as unique as the immersive experience we have created at the Sir John Monash Centre. We are so proud to have been involved with this important project, that commemorates the sacrifice of those who served, and we are delighted that the wide-ranging skills in our business, from painstaking research to high-end dramatic recreations, can be showcased in this way for years to come.”
The Centre features more than two and a half hours of content, telling the story of the First Australian Imperial Force’s time in France and Belgium during World War I. It covers both military history, with key battles such as Fromelles and Bullecourt, while also looking at social issues such as the Conscription Referendums and more heartwarming stories about the AIF’s time in London and Paris. Expertly crafted by WildBear Entertainment these accounts, told with quotes researched from service records, diaries and personnel letters of those who were there, take the story from the formation of the First AIF to the Armistice in November 1918, and succeed in showing the war through a uniquely Australian lens. Delivered on 2m x 2m screen arrays in 4k and comprised of stunning and historically accurate full colour recreations, interwoven with powerful and moving archive material, the people and events of 100 years ago are dramatically brought to life.
At the heart of the Centre is the Immersive Gallery, a space containing almost 200 screens built into a 360-degree experience. The Gallery places visitors in two of the key actions of the First AIF: the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and the great victory of Le Hamel, which brought General Sir John Monash to prominence. Filmed at a number of locations across Australia and New Zealand, using 6k Red Epic cameras and utilising elements of filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson’s extensive collection of original and reconstructed WW1 machinery and weaponry, the Immersive Gallery provides a visceral and impactful 12 minute experience that will leave viewers with a deep and emotional understanding of the conflict.
About WildBear Entertainment
An integrated factual entertainment company, WildBear Entertainment combines the skills and experience of respected producers Bettina Dalton, Alan Erson, Veronica Fury, Serge Ou, and Michael Tear.
The company has offices in three Australian state capital cities and a comprehensive catalogue of completed projects — including co-productions with leading international and Australian broadcasters such as National Geographic, Discovery, ZDF, Arte, CCTV9, FINAS Malaysia, PBS, Beijing TV, ABC TV, Seven Network, SBS, FOXTEL, and the Nine Network.
In addition, WildBear has a rapidly growing commercial projects business, which has seen them create content for a range of high profile organisations, including the Australian Federal Government, National Museum of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the Australian War Memorial – all in Canberra.
WildBear also owns Content Mint (formerly Absolutely Wild Visuals), an internationally renowned stock footage library. The library holds thousands of hours of HD, 35mm, S16mm, and other high-end video stock footage with a focus on travel, worldwide locations, wildlife and nature.
For further information, please contact:
Michelle Waldron, Beyond-the-Box
michelle@beyond-the-box.tv
+ 44 (0) 7768 568970