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Batting as Bryce Harper in Virtual Reality

Gatorade Bryce Harper Virtual Reality

Gatorade is hoping to put fans in the shoes of Washington Nationals’ star Bryce Harper with the release of the Bryce Harper Virtual Reality Experience. Fans can feel what it’s like to stand on a Major League Baseball field and go toe-to-toe with a MLB pitcher in a 3-minute, 360-degree video.

The latest campaign from Gatorade, which will be supported with paid digital advertising, brings together live-action video and computer-generated imagery to give the viewer the full experience of what’s it’s like to step up to bat in an MLB game. The pressure is on as the viewer is at bat in the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, and needs a run to win.

The live-action video was shot after a game at Nationals Park this season. Post-production work took another two months and Harper got his first look at the finished experience in late August while en route to surprising members of a youth baseball team (shown in the Little League campaign video).

The virtual reality experience video can be watched on YouTube 360 from desktop or mobile device and is also accompanied with a behind-the-scenes video as well to see the VR capture in action.

To put fans into the mindset of Bryce Harper at bat, Gatorade used a 14-camera 360-degree rig to create the video. Crowd noises, rally music, and Harper’s internal monologue are blended into the experience as the viewer gauges every pitch thrown their way. Gatorade recorded binaural audio to give the viewer the most realistic and immersive experience.

Agencies on the campaign include OMD’s Zero Code and The Mill.

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About the Scout

Jonathan Nafarrete

Jonathan Nafarrete is the co-founder of VRScout.

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