Working with exhibition specialists Mather & Co, Figment were commissioned to produce the projection mapped media content as well as design and build the pre-show area and dome show theatre. The Silverstone Experience is an immersive visitor attraction at the famous motorsport circuit in Northamptonshire. Located inside a former World War Two aircraft hangar, the attraction welcomes a wide range of visitors, from school parties to lifelong motorsport enthusiasts.
To ensure we took the visitors on both an emotional and physical journey we divided our physical space into two distinct areas. In Zone One guests experience a pre-show, where a 6 metre wide 4k projection immerses them in the story – and here they unexpectedly discover they are about to take part in a special race at Silverstone. Zone 2 reveals a fully immersive 45 seat dome cinema where you experience a high adrenaline race around the famous Silverstone circuit. The immersive dome projection which fills your vision like a giant VR headset is enhanced by the use of 4D effects like rumble and wind, plus a stunning 5.1 surround sound track.
The film was produced entirely by the Figment team and involved a 360 film shoot, covering the track with our special camera rig mounted on a Ferrari normally used for ‘track days’. This was followed by painstaking visual effects work to fill the grandstands with screaming fans and CGI work to re-create those iconic moments with legendary vehicles including faithfully-produced old motorbikes, Wellington bomber airplanes, vintage motor racing cars, the Red Arrows and many Formula 1 classics. We used photogrammetry to scan some vehicles, resulting in stunning CG recreations of these famous, much-loved machines.
Figment commissioned world renowned theatrical engineering company Stage One to build our immersive dome. Over months of development, a bespoke fibre-glass shell was manufactured to create a smooth projection surface for our custom-designed multi-projector array. We sourced the 45 seats for the cinema, created housing for the speakers, rumble seats and interactive lighting. The entire experience can be controlled by staff using a show controller on a tablet, which enables multiple modes to be set for optimum visitor flow to meet the client’s throughput targets.
