A Film by Grant Cox, Dr Felix Pedrotti & Dr Michael Grant
Client – University of Southampton
Partners – Scott Polar Research Institute/National Oceanography Centre/Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute/Dundee Heritage Trust
CGI – Grant Cox (ArtasMedia)
Object Capture – James MacDonell & Neil Cooper
Software – 3DS Max/Unreal Engine/Premiere Pro
About the project
Tales of Discovery tells the story of RRS Discovery and the 1901 British National Antarctic Expedition. ArtAsMedia created it in Unreal Engine as both a VR experience and a cinematic film.
Building the ship
At the turn of the twentieth century, Antarctica remained almost entirely unknown. Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society, set out to change that. However, he saw the expedition’s purpose as purely scientific, with no ambition to reach the South Pole first. For the ship, he turned to Dundee’s whaling heritage and its shipyards’ experience with vessels tough enough for pack ice. As a result, Discovery became the first ship in the British Empire designed specifically for scientific research.
The expedition
Discovery took to the water in the Firth of Tay on 21 March 1901, as crowds lined the dock. Captain Scott then led a hand-picked crew of forty-eight south. After five months at sea, they sighted Antarctica on 8 January 1902. Over the following years, the crew mapped hundreds of miles of unknown coastline, mountains and glaciers. They also discovered over five hundred new kinds of marine animals. In addition, they became the first to see an Emperor Penguin rookery.
Trapped in the ice
By late 1903, twenty miles of ice held the ship fast. Finally, relief ships arrived in January 1904. Then, in February, controlled explosions blasted her free. She reached Spithead that September to a hero’s welcome.
Built in real time
Because we built the world in real time, the same scenes became both a VR experience and a film. This also means we can revisit, adjust and re-present them as new uses arise.
