Meta Creative Strategist Jay Morgan wanted to change perceptions of disability with his VR series Paralympics RAW. Meta used VR to take viewers on an immersive journey through the emotions of Paralympic athletes. Think trust, courage, loneliness, love, and power – they captured it all.
Jay understood that technology and storytelling had to work hand in hand. "The power of VR for this story came from translating physical human emotions into a virtual experience. And VR allows us to do that in a way that has not been possible before," Jay said. "With RAW, we were trying to create an immersive experience where people could inhabit the athlete’s stories. They could take a walk in their shoes, so to speak."
The project involved athletes across five different cities worldwide. Glimmer connected Meta with local production crews from the sunny Gold Coast to the bustling streets of Los Angeles. The local teams were tech-savvy and knew their regions like the back of their hands, which made setting up shoots and communicating with the athletes and their agents a breeze. And it is not only about cameras and lights but also culture and language.
"We needed trusted hands in each location that we could work with remotely," Jay said. "It was important to us that that crew was local, understood the local culture, could speak the local language, and could be our eyes and ears on the ground to facilitate each of the shoots."
We are passionate about keeping things green. By tapping into our global network of production pros, Meta avoided the need for extensive travel. Less travel translated to reduced carbon emissions and lower costs. It is a win-win for Meta and our planet.
We were trying to do the impossible. We were trying to shoot in five locations around the world. We were trying to shoot five different people. There are different languages involved. There are different locations and time zones. We just had to have an agile partner like Gimmer to do this. And I just can’t see it happening any other way
