Interactive Documentary
To honor the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks System, this documentary series blends film, virtual reality, and a choose-your-own-adventure style interactivity to explore some of the wildest places America’s natural world has to offer.
In the series, Park Rangers guide viewers on horseback across the Utah high desert, by kayak through Alaskan icebergs, in a helicopter over an erupting volcano on Hawai’i’s Big Island, by foot on a spelunking adventure into New Mexico’s five million year old bat caves and with a scuba tank strapped to their back to investigate shipwrecks and coral reefs in the Caribbean.
To bring the public along for the ride, we spent the summer crossing the country with one goal in mind: to bring people closer than ever before to that feeling of wonder that came over us each time we drove through the gates of a new park. The films we shot were crafted into a bespoke interactive experience that was launched online and in classrooms across America.
Interactive stories let viewers learn more about the night sky, understand the way bats navigate in darkness, and witness the effect of climate change on some of the most fragile features of the National Parks System.
We were even able to partner with the National Parks Foundation to facilitate field trips for thousands of kids to visit the parks in person.
The project was launched online and through a series of classrooms visits across America, where students were given the chance to experience their first glimpse of a National Park.
Recognition
D&AD — Wood Pencil
D&AD Impact — Wood Pencil
One Show — Gold Pencil & Bronze Pencil
Communication Arts — Interactive Annual
Communication Arts — Webpick
FWA — Site of the Month
Awwwards — Site of the Day
Cannes Lions — Digital Craft Shortlist
Webbys — Winner (Web: Education); People's Voice (Web: Education); People's Voice (Web: Best Use of Video or Moving Image)
Official Google Blog — Explore the Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
TechCrunch — Google Now Lets You Explore U.S. National Parks Via 360-Degree Virtual Tours
Engadget — Google Offers 360-Degree Tours of US National Parks
The Verge — Google Will Take You on a 360-Degree Tour of the Kenai Fjords, Bryce Canyon, and Other National Parks
Popular Science — Now You Can Explore the National Parks in Ranger-Guided 360 Tours
Smithsonian — Explore Some of America's Greatest National Parks in Virtual Reality
Fortune — Tour 5 U.S. National Parks with Google’s New 360-Degree Exhibit
Outside — Google Wants to Make It Easier to Explore the National Parks
Pitchfork — Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Soundtracks Google’s New National Parks Videos
Project Credits
Creative Director: Nico Carbonaro
Executive Producer: Eloise Harper Connolly
Agency: Google Brand Studio
Interactive Build: Stink Digital
Film & VR Production: Ghost Robot
Ambisonic Audio: Silver Sound