// Tamworth AR Explorer

Project: Physical-Digital Augmented Reality trail experience at Tamworth Castle

Client: Tamworth Borough Council

Partners: Four Door Productions, tgac, Kezi Gardom

Journey: starting with the 900+ year story of Tamworth Castle, and the people who work there today telling its story, our approach combined narrative and interaction design, interpretive planning, and creative technologies to bring the stories of the Castle to life in new and engaging ways for visitors of all ages, using large scale interactive augmented reality in novel ways

working closely with key members of the Castle Team, and with our fantastic creative partners - Four Door Productions, Kezi Gardom and TGAC - we developed the core narrative and interpretive plan, overseeing the scripting and production of all content, physical and digital elements for Tamworth AR Explorer

Based around the core narrative framework, the memories of the Castle are locked in the stones until we wake them, we developed a central non-human character - the Memory Keeper as a fiery flying orb that speaks to visitors - who guides visitors, moves the story along, and coherently stitches together the diverse interactive and Augmented Reality experiences

The timeless Memory Keeper character was in part inspired by the vital role of women in Saxon culture (an era closely linked with Tamworth and the Castle) as peaceweavers, memory keepers and cultural storytellers

To create the character pieces using new Depthkit volumetric technology, we developed a flexible scripting and direction approach based aorund a set of core (achor) actions and real time script development as the scene evolved

A huge thank you to our fabulous actors - Clara Carlos, Claire Lacey, Rik Sowden, Damien O’Donovan, Matthew Routeledge, Linda Baker, Olivia Joy-Shepherd (you’ll meet them again in the Educational Programme)

to design and produce this project we used a range of amazing and new technologies, including:

• LiDAR scanning using the new iPhone 12 Pro. we used the LiDAR scanner on the new iPhone to create super accurate digital models of the spaces in the castle, enaling us to develop the site-specific storytelling experiences remotely and in COVID-safe ways, saving costly on-site visits for content development and testing

• 
  Unity MARS is the new system by Unity that enabled us to combine the 3D LiDAR scan data with 3D digital content we created to design and produce the site-specfic content that responds to the physical historic environments of the castle

• Filming in 3D with Depthkit. wE researched characters and events, scripted scenes and used this brand new software to record castle staff and historical reenactors in full 3D to create a set of character based holographic performances and min-dramas

• 3D Animation. We used spatial animation to bring non-human characters and graphics to lif, including the central guide // companion, the Memeory Keeper, a timeline in the courtyard, quotes floating above a desk, and a wild board on the loose in the Medieval Great Hall.

• Photogrammetry and CGI. We used a range of visualisation and modelling techniques to create a set of 3D interactive objects from the Caslte’s collections.

• Machine Learning. wE CREATED A SET OF ORIGINAL AR selfie-filters LINKED TO DIFFERENT ERAS IN THE cASTLE’S HISTORY. tO MAKE THESE AND THE REST OF THE EXPERIENCES AT tAMWORTH cASTLE ACCESSIBLE ON OLDER AND LOWER RANGE DEVICES WE EXPLOYED A RANGE OF (BEHIND THE SCENES) TECHNIQUES

Destination

A UK-first, using large scale Interactive storytelling and augmented reality to bring the history of one of England’s odlest castles to life

• hYBRID PHYSICAL-DIGITAL EXPERIENCES ARE LIGHT-TOUCH, FLEXIBLE AND SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF COMPLEX HISTORICAL AND HERITAGE SITES. tHEY creatE a value adding layer of interactive storytelling, including Augmented Reality, THAT CAN BREATHE new life INto an historic site WITHOUT NEEDING TO CHANGE THE PHYSICAL SPACES THEMSELVES

• aCCESSIBILITY IS CRUCIAL IN THE CULTURAL AND HERITAGE CONTEXT, WHERE MANY AUDIENCES ARE LOW- // NON-TECHNICAL PEOPLE. tO ensurE these new TECHNOLOGIES are accessible on as many smartphones as possible, IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO USE machine learning and a range of other ADVANCED (behind the scenes) techniques

• iN THIS PROJECT WE BROUGHT TOGETHER 30 YEARS OF STORYTELLING EXPERIENCE WITH A RANGE OF brand new interactive technologies. iN THE PROCESS, WE HAVE developED A SUITE OF new CREATIVE strategies and PRODUCTION workflows that can be ADAPTED AND applied in a wide range of contexts, FROM CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY STORYTELLING TO CREATIVE BUSINESS, BRAND DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY

download Tamworth AR Explorer from the App Store

Download Tamworth AR Explorer from the Play Store

Using Unity Mars to create a 3D film experience in the Lady’s Chamber at Tamworth Castle