Octonauts has had a significant social media presence since its earliest seasons, particularly on YouTube. Many of the videos posted are reels, compilations, and "best of" lists, but we also had the opportunity to create unique musical, vehicle, and experiential videos in between the demands of series production. Our Silvergate product executive drove many of these initiatives for fun and engaging social media projects, and I was happy to support where I could as a producer, camera operator, motion graphic designer, and editor. Occasionally, these projects involved experiments with cutting edge video and tech, to see if they could be used for storytelling in the Octonauts world.
Social Media Engagement
Consumer Product Tie-ins
Octonauts 360 Adventure - Experimental Social Content
When 360 video was emerging on social platforms, it had a lot of potential to bring children directly into the world of Octonauts. Many children were already watching the show's social content on phones and tablets, so there was little barrier to entry for the technology. The series also had a legacy of showing real-world locations and creatures through through the "Creature Report" musical segment. Producing a 360 segment combing CG animation and live video presented an interested creative, technical and production challenge.
We partnered with companies Secret Location for 360 animation and Panedia for live action footage. Adapting the show's assets and creating a story required considerable research and conversation into what 360 technology was capable of. Eventually, we created a your of the Great Barrier Reef in the show's Gup-E vehicle, giving children a chance to ride along on a mission. To learn more about the process and challenges of producing this content, the director Joel Gerlach has a well documented breakdown here.