• by Larissa Faw , September 16, 2015

TVGla has applied augmented-reality type technology to a new mobile promotion for the Universal film Everest, now in theaters. The film depicts a disastrous 1996 expedition in which several climbers were killed.  

The promotion appears to put the audience on the mountain. The mobile site takes users through four stages -- Base Camp, Khumbu Icefall, Camp 4 and The Summit -- of the Mountain's ascent and descent using a variety of technical effects.

In all, viewers are given near 360-degree vistas that provide realistic views of Everest from the sky, the mountain side and looking down the mountain crevices.

Realistic digital gauges provide real information about the environment, including oxygen levels, height above sea level, average temperature/wind speed/wind chill, and distance traveled from base camp.  

“Our goal with this site was to make it feel as close to ‘the real thing’ as possible,” explained Brian Pettigrew, president of TVGla. “One of the biggest challenges for our creative and technology teams was to stitch together all the different visual assets to connect every mountain with every other mountain. It was like a jigsaw puzzle with 10,000 pieces that all have slightly different perspective.”

The images were created using photo and video assets from David Breashears, mountaineer and film maker who has climbed Everest five times and witnessed two of the most deadly expeditions on the mountain.

These clips were then combined with 3D assets and WebGL for atmospheric effects.

Social content is being integrated into each location to further create an interactive experience that "puts the danger and epic scale of the mountain into perspective for the user," according to the agency. This experience is supported with traditional social media outreach, including the Everest Facebook page.