Awards
One Show Merit
Webby Honouree x 2
Canadian Marketing Awards
The Rosies (Alberta Film & Television Awards)
The Anvils x 3
The Ember Awards x 2
Hashtag Awards
One Show Merit
Webby Honouree x 2
Canadian Marketing Awards
The Rosies (Alberta Film & Television Awards)
The Anvils x 3
The Ember Awards x 2
Hashtag Awards
Intro
The Syrian refugee crisis had been building since 2011 due to a brutal civil war that has forced millions to flee their homes. There was media attention on the issue, but it was the haunting picture of a dead three-year-old boy lying on the beach in Turkey that finally made the world very aware of the tragic reality.
In October 2015, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) established a special fund, in partnership with the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), to help support the settlement of Syrian refugees in Canada. Unions across Canada have pitched in more than $300,000 since the fund was established.
In 2016, the CLC wanted to engage Canadians in their support of Syrian refugees by using virtual reality technology. The goal was to allow Canadians to experience a small piece of what it is like to make the journey of a refugee.
360 Video
As the global issue of refugees came to the forefront in the media in 2016, resistance to accepting them into western countries increased. The reasons for this are many, but the primary one is an inability to truly empathize with people who have literally risked everything to secure safety for themselves and their families.
As the global issue of refugees came to the forefront in the media in 2016, resistance to accepting them into western countries increased. The reasons for this are many, but the primary one is an inability to truly empathize with people who have literally risked everything to secure safety for themselves and their families.
What if war came to North America and you were forced to flee with your family as violence ripped apart your community? This concept seeks to create an intimate first person experience from a western point of view. Using multidirectional cameras, instead of traditional cameras, we were able to capture 360° video. Then, using portable VR technology, we put the viewer right in the shoes of a North American refugee. In this setting they will feel the danger, emotion and drama of what it is to be a refugee in their own country.
