African Penguin Story
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Contextual Setting & History
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Juxtaposition of Mandela imprisoned here for 28 years & set free in 1994 and the African Penguins now confined here by ever reduced
food resources -
Story of diminished food resources, trial and tribulations.
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95% decrease in population – becoming an Endangered species.
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Include facts such as: Politicians in 60s had penguin eggs on their breakfast menu
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African Penguins normally breed on islands - less predators, but are breeding on mainland coastal areas - residents providing protection eg: Boulders colony started in the 80s. But there is also a conflict between residents and penguins
What is being done?
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With the greater food supply further east, BirdLife South Africa has explored areas that can be developed as protected breeding areas
for the Penguins -
Show new location – a clean slate, after their long walk to freedom. Nothing to disturb them, a new start
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This is an area where penguins previously attempted to
breed in the mid-2000s
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Challenges
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Caracal and other terrestrial mammalian predators find penguins easy prey and can kill large numbers of them.
In 2004-06 a caracal hunting penguins at the young colony at De Hoop, caused the penguins to abandon the site -
Solutions to challenges:
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Better predator deterrent measures: Well-maintained predator-proof fence – overhanging, dug into the ground and remote monitoring systems to alert if a predator is in the area
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Initially will try to passively attract penguins foraging further east around De Hoop or Plett - using decoys, sound attractions etc
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Penguins usually return to their place of birth, so the new breeding ground, will become a home for the new colony
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Possible Outcomes
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Short-term: learn from the success or failure of the project to allow us to create other penguin colonies elsewhere
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Long-term: Increasing the African Penguin population,
encouraging penguins to breed in areas closer to the fish, bridging the current 600 km gap between the east and west colonies (creating resilience in population/providing insurance against catastrophic events at either colony)
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BirdLife South Africa Virtual Hide
The information below explains how we can create stunning, informative visuals that will be viewed online as 360 videos as well as unique and immersive video platform the:
A proposal for a unique viewing
experience for the stand of
BirdLife South Africa
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at the
BirdLife International
World Congress 2017
Recording material with a 360Ëš camera system means that we capture everything in a complete sphere. It invites the viewer to explore the scene rather than dictate their point of focus, and so they become a participant in the experience. The immersive nature creates impact and a sense of being physically present within the story, resulting in a
memorable experience.
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We produce video content so that it can be experienced across a variety of platforms and devices, extending the reach and experiences. In addition to the virtual hide, the 360Ëš video can also be experienced with the following devices: laptop, mobile phone, curved screen and virtual goggles
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If you are viewing material with goggles, you simply move your head around to view the video in full 360Ëš.
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If you are viewing on a mobile phone, you move the
phone around you to explore a complete circle of action
and information.
On a big screen or laptop, you use the trackpad or mouse to shift the angle of the vide to explore any aspect of the scene.
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The BirdLife South Africa stand will mimic a bird hide, where viewers would be able to move about within the visual immersion. Adding to this, the hide is a shared experience.
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About 360Ëš Video
Curved screen & track-pad
Mobile phone
Virtual goggles
Laptop & track-pad
A unique way to engage with visitors to the congress.
A method of extending the experience to include the time leading up to the event, the event and post event
We propose that the BirdLife South Africa stand is developed to look like a virtual hide that allow people to experience the BirdLife South Africa story in a unique and intimate way.
A 3 step process of sharing information
Pre - congress online build up
The event
Post event
A 3 step resource that thrills, entertains - and informs...
The BirdLife South Africa Virtual Hide
The 360Ëš virtual video and the virtual hide will take visitors into a thrilling world that shares important information in an entertaining and effective way.
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One of the best ways to share stories and information that can be retained, is through the creation of immersive visual experiences.
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Watch the example video below. (This video is for demonstration purposes only. New footage will be filmed especially for this event.)
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The video content that is presented at the virtual hide will be on a continuous, repeating loop. The timing takes into account people's attention span at public events and the need to have conversations. Only the BirdLife South Africa overview & penguin story will have narration, the other elements will have only light music and ambient bird sounds.
1 Opening Title Sequence 00:30
A series for graphics and photos that represent
the identity of BirdLife South Africa
Breakdown of video content
2 BirdLife South Africa Overview 01:30
A clear insight into past successes, current
projects and future intentions
3 Ambient Visuals 01:00
Beautiful montage of birds and landscapes
by South African photographers
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4 A New African Penguin Colony 03:00
The story of the initiative to develop an
alternative penguin colony at De Hoop
5 Ambient Visuals 01:00
Beautiful montage of birds and landscapes
by South African photographers
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3 Levels of Content
PRE-EVENT
360Ëš Video content will be shown on selected websites and social media platforms. This will generate awareness and interest in the up-comming event. We can also create feedback systems to collect comments from viewers.
EVENT
The event content will comprise of standard and special 360Ëš videos
POST EVENT
In addition to the existing content, a 'highlights' of the event will be added, creating ongoing value and awareness for BirdLife South Africa
and its projects
We can extend the lifetime and value of the content by making it available before, during and long after the World Congress
Stand Details
As the finer details of the Partnership Fair have yet to be defined, we need to anticipate a number of possibilities in regard to the BirdLife South Africa stand...
Easy access and flow of visitors is essential. To address this we have designed an open system with video content that is only a few minutes in duration. This material is on a constant repeating loop.
If the stand is located within an avenue of stands, we will only be dressing the internal
3 walls with monitors and benches.
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The virtual hide will have 3 walls made to look like wood, with 3 large screens as the openings of the hide to the “outside”. Depending on the size allocated to us it could hold up to 6 people at a time. There will be no roof over the hide. Depending on what is allowed by the conference venue, the floor will be left as is or covered with stones/sand.
The outside of the hide will be decorated with banners and posters of penguins and BirdLife South Africa branding. There will be a small reception desk placed in front of the stand to allow for further conversations and networking. This desk will also have brochures and other promotional material about penguins and BirdLife South Africa’s work. We would also like to have some small items to give away (e.g. penguin bracelets or pins, ideas for this are still being developed).
Final details of the gala dinner are not available yet but we have been thinking of a few ideas to decorate the table(s). These ideas are still preliminary and the cost will need to be investigated.
To tie into the theme of the new colony, the centre piece could be one of the decoys that will be used at the new colony site. At each place setting, the name tag would be a small model penguin (beaded or wooden). We can incorporate penguins into the napkin rings as well, with a variation on the beaded penguin bracelets.
This is still a work in progress so please watch this space!
Gala Dinner
