Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
360° and VR Project in the ARD Tagesschau Studio
“This is Germany’s Channel One with the Tagesschau.” In our 360° project, you can open the Tagesschau yourself from behind the news desk.
- Client
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
- Industry
- Public broadcasting
- Use
- Trade shows and events
- Format
- Virtual Reality
A visit to the Tagesschau studio
The Tagesschau studio, home of the flagship newscast of ARD, Germany’s public broadcasting network, is one of the most modern studios in Germany. There are no camera operators behind the cameras anymore. Today, everything runs fully automatically. Robots perform the camera moves with high precision, and the lighting is perfect. The 320 m² (about 3,400 sq ft) studio can rightly be called the heart of the campus of NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for northern Germany) in Hamburg-Lokstedt.
Visitor groups regularly come to NDR to take guided tours. And this is where a real problem arises: the state-of-the-art studio with its powerful robotic cameras is also a hazard zone. No one may enter the studio without first receiving a safety briefing. You have to know where you are allowed to stand and where you are not. The staff are all trained and can work safely, but the studio is off-limits to visitors. For some guests, it is frustrating to have to stay outside the door. They miss the best part. Our app solves this.
The 360° production
On behalf of NDR, we shot a 360° film about the Tagesschau. Linda Zervakis, a Tagesschau anchor at the time, showed us her workplace. We set up our 360° camera next to her and filmed her at work. In the film, she explains how a broadcast works, everything that is hidden inside the anchor desk, and how she operates the teleprompter. In our 360° video, you can look around, see all the camera robots in action, count the hundreds of lights (if you take the time), and even welcome the viewers at the start of the broadcast yourself. With a little help from Ms. Zervakis, of course.
The virtual reality application
NDR purchased 130 VR headsets for our app and uses them at events and for guided tours. When a group arrives at the studio door, visitors can now enter the Tagesschau studio, virtually: every visitor is handed a VR headset to put on. We developed an app that is so easy to use that every visitor can operate it intuitively, with no technical hurdles.
The VR headsets are part of an infrastructure we set up: our 360° VR app is installed on every headset. Using a tablet, a staff member can control the app and play, pause, and otherwise control all films in sync.
The 360° Tagesschau film was very well received. The project was officially presented for the first time at IdeenExpo 2019 in Hanover. Minister-President (state premier) Stephan Peter Weil also tried out the project and was thrilled. The VR film is shown on guided tours of the ARD Tagesschau studio in Hamburg-Lokstedt and at NDR events.
