(PARK CITY, UT — January 26, 2019) — TIME, the Emmy Award–winning creator of A Year in Space, and Felix & Paul Studios, the Emmy Award–winning creator of Space Explorers, are combining their storytelling expertise and technological innovation for the ISS Experience, an immersive documentary series filmed on and around the International Space Station. The project, announced today during a panel at the Sundance Film Festival, will be filmed over a yearlong period using specially engineered technical solutions and will culminate in the first-ever capture of a spacewalk in cinematic virtual reality.
“We are excited to be working with Felix & Paul Studios to bring this project to many different audiences, across many different platforms,” said Mia Tramz, Emmy-winning VR producer and editorial director of Enterprise and Immersive Experiences at TIME. “This project will have a life on digital, immersive and physical platforms, and will ultimately serve as an educational experience to inspire generations to come.”
With the support of the International Space Station, U.S. National Laboratory and the unparalleled access provided by NASA, the ISS Experience will provide viewers with a first-person experience of life on board the International Space Station, highlighting the learnings of astronauts who have lived and worked on the ISS over the past 20 years and providing insights into the future of space exploration.
“Everything we have done to date as a studio has led up to this moment. We’ve immersed audiences around the world in extraordinary settings—from the White House to Eminem’s Detroit to the plains of the Serengeti—but space is the ultimate destination,” said Félix Lajeunesse, Emmy-winning creative director at Felix & Paul Studios. “We’re proud to be on this ambitious journey with our partners at TIME, producing the single most immersive experience ever made of life in space on the International Space Station.”
After intensive technological development, testing and flight certification, TIME and Felix & Paul Studios launched two cinematic virtual-reality camera systems to the International Space Station on Dec. 5, 2018. The ISS Experience series will be captured with a Z CAM V1 Pro camera, manufactured and provided by Z CAM (Shenzhen ImagineVision Technology ltd), that were adapted by Felix & Paul Studios into a custom setup that incorporates purpose-built hardware and software that allows for shooting in space by the crew of astronauts on board the International Space Station.
In early 2019, two additional VR cameras are slated to launch to the International Space Station, built to film outside of the ISS and to capture the first-ever spacewalk in cinematic virtual reality.
The ISS Experience is the latest example of both TIME’s and Felix & Paul Studios’ commitment to implementing groundbreaking technology to pursue exciting new forms of storytelling. Slated to be presented in augmented reality, virtual reality and other immersive platforms, the ISS Experience builds on the success of the TIME’s Emmy-winning documentary A Year in Space and its award-winning video and immersive projects teams, as well as Felix & Paul Studios’ critically acclaimed Space Explorers series and award-winning technology platform.
The series will be distributed as both a digital XR experience and physical ticketed experiential exhibition at select museums and public locations. To view the trailer, receive project updates and learn more about the ISS Experience, visit time.com/issexperience.
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About TIME
TIME is a global multimedia brand that reaches a combined audience of more than 100 million around the world. A trusted destination for reporting and insight on the people, places and issues that matter, TIME captures the events that shape our lives. TIME’s major franchises include the TIME 100 Most Influential People, Person of the Year, Firsts, Best Inventions, Genius Companies, World’s Greatest Places and more. With 45 million digital visitors each month and 40 million social followers, TIME is one of the most trusted and recognized sources of news and information in the world.
ABOUT FELIX & PAUL STUDIOS
Felix & Paul Studios is an EMMY® Award–winning immersive entertainment studio, creating unparalleled virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality experiences for audiences worldwide. The studio combines technological innovation with a unique, pioneering and in-depth approach to the new art of XR storytelling—creating groundbreaking original immersive experiences (MIYUBI, Nomads series, Strangers, The Confessional, Space Explorers series); awe-inspiring productions with existing franchises (Jurassic World, Cirque du Soleil, Fox Searchlight’s Wild and Isle of Dogs); and collaborations with world-renowned organizations, leaders and performers (NASA, SpaceX, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, LeBron James, President Bill Clinton, Eminem, Wes Anderson, Brie Larson, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray and many others).
