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Underwater Mermaids: An Interactive Fashion VR Experience

Explore an underwater fantasy with mystical mermaids as a part of the latest project from Soma Fashion Network, Underwater Mermaids. Filmed using the 360Abyss™ v4, the virtual reality experience was released exclusively on HTC’s Viveport and offers viewers a new take on fashion content.

Founder & Creative Director of Soma Fashion Network Karen Morgan gave us the full story behind the project. In a recent interview, Morgan stated “We believe VR is the future for fashion brands and advertising and want to be at the forefront of the industry.”

“We were very impressed at the quality and clarity of the footage. This was our first underwater experience and we were very happy with the end results.” Karen Morgan, Founder & Creative Director Soma Fashion Network

The experience takes users underwater where mermaids, dancers, and models glisten through the water as they showcase swimwear in the fashion piece. The VR production was supervised by Casey Sapp, a VR production specialist, who has used the 360Abyss™ in prior productions. Casey mentions (in the behind the scenes video below) that because the piece featured actors, it was important to direct the talent in between the seams of the cameras. To accomplish this they used conch shells as markers to position the models within the FOV of each of the individual cameras.

The Making of Underwater Mermaids from morgan on Vimeo.

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Casey Sapp, VR Supervisor on the Underwater Mermaid project, pictured with the 360Abyss™ v4.

According to the crew, the biggest challenge for this VR project was making sure everything looked amazing from all angles. The production was shot in a pool with the goal of making the end product look like an underwater fantasyland. With that in mind, the team sprayed water on the top of the pool while shooting the scenes so the trees & lights above were not in view. This allowed for more texture in the content that proved to be beneficial in the post-production process. The finishing touches were put on the piece by Cognition LA, a post-production house offering VR post and color grading among its services.

Morgan said, “We see VR playing a huge role in fashion especially in commerce. For years brands have been looking for interactive experiences. VR allows this to happen. Fashion is all about the future, who we are today and who we want to become. VR can transport people instantly into their own fashion fantasy.

With dynamic solutions such as the 360Abyss™ continuing to improve content creator’s capabilities, the adoption of 360 video is following suit. For the fashion industry,  we can only expect many more productions like this underwater wonderland.


Access the Underwater Mermaid VR Experience for the HTC Vive Here

Learn more about the 360Abyss™ v4 360 video system