When Time magazine put Virtual Realty on its cover with the tagline The surprising joy of Virtual Reality (and why it’s about to change the world), VR suddenly became mainstream. Time’s 3 million readers lapped it up, nodding in unison with Facebook, Google and Sony that VR was indeed the next big thing.
Anyone who has slapped on a set of VR goggles would likely agree. VR doesn’t feel like watching a video clip, though in actual fact, that’s exactly what is happening. VR’s secret weapon is that the viewer becomes totally immersed in the screen a few centimetres from their eyes. Users typically swing their heads looking up, down, sideways and even behind to get a 360 degree view of their surroundings. It’s hard to explain just how fabulous the experience is unless you’ve actually put on a pair of admittedly clunky VR goggles.
Despite the nerd factor of head-mounted oversized goggles, VR is a game changer. Particularly for the tourism industry. Think Virtual Reality (or Think VR for short) is a Cairns based company at the forefront of this technological revolution. So confident is its founder Benjamin Farkas in the future of VR, he gave up a successful real estate career to form Think VR in 2015.
Ben’s team created an exceptional video clip showcasing the best of Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and surrounds especially for Study Cairns. The video clip showcases some of Cairns’ world class educational institutions as well as popular visitor attractions like the Great Barrier Reef. The clip even elevates viewers onto AJ Hackett’s bungy platform before plunging to the ground! A heart-pumping exhilarating experience that emphasises the reality side of VR.
Ben said he was thrilled to work on this project showcasing attractions that makes Cairns one of Australia’s leading tourism destinations. His team completed the Study Cairns video clip in record time.
“The project took about six weeks from scouting and shooting to the final product. We shot over four hours worth of video which amounted to a massive 4.6TB of video footage. We then edited four hours down into five minutes.”
“You can see for yourself, the end result is pretty special,” Ben says as I remove the headset, still reeling from the sensory overload that infinite depth of field offers.
Study Cairns members and guests recently had the opportunity to strap on VR headsets at member events. The feedback was phenomenal, with viewers blown away by how real the experience actually feels.
Study Cairns will use this VR experience to showcase Cairns as a leading educational tourism destination at international conferences and workshops around the globe. In the lead in to ANZA 2017, which is being held in Cairns for the first time, Study Cairns aims to demonstrate that the region is a world-class destination for educational tourism. Think VR’s extraordinary film clip is a show-stopper that’s sure to leave viewers wanting to hop on a plane and experience the real thing.
As great as VR is, it will never quite be as good as the reality of touching, smelling and seeing the real thing. But it is indeed a game changer for educational tourism. The key is enticing viewers to transport themselves from the virtual world into the real world by hopping on a plane.