ABOUT

Key Facts
Campaign: Demand More
Client: Zambezi-la
End Client: TaylorMade
Deliverables: 6x 360 videos, HTML5 web player, iOS app for Google Cardboard, YouTube 360
Location: Global with North American activations
Project Date: Autumn 2015

The Challenge
Leading golf brand TaylorMade partnered with Zambezi-la to develop a campaign to launch their new PSi irons. Visualise was approached to film a series of 360 videos that would offer unique and exciting content for the pro-golfer. Via 360 videos and an App for Google Cardboard fans get to join PGA stars Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia for their fitting sessions on the golf course.

The Solution
The Visualise team travelled to Ohio summer 2015 to capture the 360 videos for TaylorMade, over a two-day shoot we filmed enough content to produce six short films.

The 360 content was captured using a combination of GoPros in custom 3D printed housing, a custom remote controlled dolly for the walking portion of the shoot and a custom drone to follow Rose’s golf backswing.

Once in post-production, we overlaid complex graphical information onto the spherical video to create a more immersive, in-depth experience. This animated information included the type of iron used, launch angle, ball speed, spin rate, height, distance and RPMs when the pro takes a swing off the tee.

“We’re always looking for innovative and engaging ways to bring the golfers close to the game and our tour pros. With 360 virtual-reality camera technology, we were able to capture and present content for a truly unique experience.” Mark Buntz, Senior Global Brand Director, TaylorMade
This information was based on real-time data with statistics fed back to the players by TaylorMade technicians. Not only does this gives golf fans a sense of being on the course with the pros, but also the chance to delve into key statistics in a unique and interesting way.

Although stitching the 360 footage from the golf course was straightforward, the main challenges came forward when blocking the golf swing, as it was necessary to get as close to the golfer as possible while still keeping the entire swing in one of the six camera frames.

The first episode, ‘Look, Shape and Feel,’ sees Rose and Garcia on the driving range putting the PSi irons through their paces for the first time. Episodes two and three, ‘Trajectory and Spin’ and ‘Innovating the Players Iron’, sees the two pro golfers out on the course playing three holes to explore the clubs’ performance.

The Results
TaylorMade sent 1,500 PSi-branded Google Cardboard VR viewers to US sports stores including Dick’s Sporting Goods, as well as The TaylorMade Golf Experience in Las Vegas, so customers can watch the PSi 360 videos. Fans can also watch on any Android or iOS VR device and on YouTube 360 which has seen nearly 50,000 views or PSi’s product landing page.