Gooii Portfolio: ‘Robin Hood: Arrow Through Time’ holographic movie

Using Augmented Reality and 5G technology to bring Robin Hood to life

Project summary

‘Robin Hood: Arrow Through Time’ is the world’s first interactive holographic movie and experience. Gooii developed Augmented Reality technology using an AR headset to project this holographic movie into Sherwood Forest, immersing the viewer into the ancient story. 

Key deliverables:

• Holographic movie
• Interactive mobile app for AR headsets

The holographic film

Gooii worked with BAFTA-winning director Nick Hutchings to create an interactive holographic film. We worked with a team of talented video producers, directors, actors, DOPs, VFX and SFX artists to produce an entertaining, educational film that users can interact with. 

Click here to read more about the film and cast.

The AR headset

Our team of coders developed an app to work with AR headsets, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens headset, in order to project this film into the forest. The headset projects digital holograms into the real world, in the form of moving 3D images. This is called Augmented Reality, because it creates a reimagined, augmented reality – digital content laid over the moving landscape in front of you. This makes the user part of the movie, enabling you to interact with the film and its characters.

The client

The film and AR experiences were developed as part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s ‘5G Connected Forest’, a unique research project developed to test how 5G technology can boost tourism and the environment in a forest setting. 

As part of the Government’s 5G ‘Testbed and Trials’ programme, Gooii was one of the lead project partners and worked alongside the council and Parkwood Leisure to assess the potential for 5G applications in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest area. We were proud to work alongside such incredible consortium partners. 

The brief

We were asked to enhance the visitor experience at Sherwood Forest by taking advantage of 5G technology in a rural area and developing XR content in a countryside location. 

The clients wanted to enable visitors to truly experience the story of Robin Hood, rather than just hearing it or seeing it. They wanted to make it feel as though you were right there, witnessing it first hand. 

Other research areas for the 5G Connected Forest project include our Augmented Reality ‘Ghost Walk’ at Rufford Country Park, entertainment pods, with 5G-enabled content and an app-based experience called ‘Tag in the Park’. 

How we developed the project

‘Bringing Robin Hood to life’ was the building block of our development. As part of our R&D, we built prototypes and digital demos of the planned content. This included using different technologies such as the Magic Leap One AR headset and Lidar on the iPhone. We’ve also been working with Mixed Reality headsets such as the Meta Quest Pro, which enables you to step through AR and VR worlds.

We co-wrote the film script and then worked with filmmakers and actors to produce the movie. We then combined the film with Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and 3D models to create the holograms and create the immersive experience. 

Our extensive R&D enabled us to further develop the AR technology as used on a phone or table in order to create an interactive film, with holograms that are more like those seen in Star Wars and Marvel movies. 

Benefits of the project

Create a more immersive experience

AR headsets enable visitors to hear the swooshing of a sword and arrows flying past their heads, making the film experience incredibly immersive. Visitors to Sherwood Forest were also able to make decisions that would change the course of the story, with multiple different endings.

Augmented Reality brings history to life

We used recognisable actors such as Black Mirror’s Dominic Le Moignan and BGT’s John Archer to play historic figures and bring them to life in the setting they would originally have inhabited. It’s a fun and interactive way to learn about history. 

Read more about how can AR be used for the travel and leisure industry

How to use this technology in your industry

We’re proud to be pioneering the role of 5G in delivering visitor attractions. The possibilities of using AR are endless, particularly in the leisure and tourism industry. Imagine holographic reconstructions in historical sites and interactive historical tour guides, or virtual theme park rides that mix the real world with virtual reality – the worlds of Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality (MR) is your oyster. 

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how we could develop AR apps and experiences for your business.