Nicole Kidman stars in Etihad Airways’ ground-breaking new 360-degree virtual reality film

Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman is starring in Etihad Airways’ new 360-degree virtual reality film.

The film, titled “Reimagine” was created by The Barbarian Group, a subsidiary of Cheil Worldwide, in partnership with the creative digital production company MediaMonks, and takes a 360-degree look at the luxury interior of Etihad’s Airbus A380.

“Storytelling in new mediums always brings out the best in our agency. VR was a natural fit for a brand that prides itself on experience,” said Adam Lau, Creative Director, The Barbarian Group.

In a major coup for the airline, this marks the first time a Hollywood A-list star has appeared in a fully immersive virtual reality film.

In “Reimagine,” we follow Nicole Kidman on her journey aboard Etihad’s revolutionary Airbus A380, which houses the ultra-luxurious and private three-room suite, The Residence.

Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “In December 2014 we completely reimagined the travel experience with the launch of our new A380 fleet, setting a new standard in innovative design, service and technology. This was followed in 2015 by a tremendously successful adverting campaign starring Nicole Kidman. This immersive VR film is a massive step-change in the way we present the Etihad Airways brand and product to the consumer using highly innovative new mediums. Based on the success of our recent campaign with Nicole, the decision to take this partnership to the next level was an obvious one.”

Five minutes in length, “Reimagine” launched in monoscopic sound on a dedicated website, and will be followed by an updated version in stereoscopic sound on June 17th. The film will also be released online as a YouTube 360 video.

To get the full experience, viewers will need to download the Oculus VR app on Etihad’s dedicated website and view the film using a virtual reality headset, such as Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard.

The film, which aims to redefine state-of-the-art VR, was created using a custom-built camera rig, enabling 6k resolution and zero parallax footage. This method of filming ensured flawless, fully spherical images with portrait photography levels of quality for every frame. There are no stitches or warping, achieving realism on a level unprecedented for a VR film.

“As the most multidisciplinary medium there is, virtual reality relies more heavily on craft and execution than anything before it. We believe the display of artistry in every facet of this production is setting a new benchmark for live-action VR,” said Ola Björling, MediaMonks, Global Director of VR.

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