Samsung and RSC | 2015
Re: Shakespeare is an Android app powered by Samsung Electronics UK in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company targeting children between 11 and 15 years old, where Shakespeare's legacy is brought to life in the multiple activities and games presented by famous actors, musicians and a director.
Akala, Shlomo and Indigo introduce different activities.
Akala's game asks users to decide if the quote belongs to a Shakespeare play or a Hip-hop song.
Shlomo shows how rhythm and beat also come into place in a Shakespeare line by creating a beatbox with Shakespeare words.
About the project:
The Android app, called RE:Shakespeare, features interactive games and videos and is hosted by RSC ambassador, David Tennant. It also features actress Tamsin Greig, beatbox artist Shlomo, rapper and poet Akala, and RSC director, Iqbal Khan.
These charismatic mentors unlock Shakespeare’s language, transforming difficult lines into fun lyrical challenges and helping students to reinterpret, re-mix and perform Shakespeare like never before.
The app has been developed to make full use of smartphone features, engaging users via three interactive sessions – Play, Practice and Perform – each designed to encourage a particular type of learning.
RE:Shakespeare allows users to star in their own Dubsmash-style music video and mix the beat boxer Shlomo with Shakespeare to create their own track. It also gives them a chance to perform on a virtual stage and watch a 360-degree immersive video, shot on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Play tackles Shakespeare head on. Music and rhyme take centre stage through a series of three immersive games. Users lip sync their favourite lines with poet Indigo, star in a Dubsmash style music video, and mix the beat boxer Shlomo with Shakespeare to create their own track.
Practice enables young people to really get to grips with the ‘what, why and how’ of Shakespeare’s language. Actress Tamsin Greig and RSC voice coach Nia Lynn, together with RSC director Iqbal Khan, provide top tips to help students deliver Shakespeare’s lines.
Children can also visualise two parts of Much Ado About Nothing play in a 360º interactive video, controlled by the device's gyroscope, and take part of the play by performing one of the roles in a 1st POV 360º interactive video.
We filmed the 360° video with a Red Dragon rig, as well as using GoPros for extra coverage. We wanted to create a VR capable experience that allowed for as much immersion as possible. This allowed us to place Shakespeare in the context of modern interactive storytelling.
For the final performance which users take part in during the last stage of the app, we filmed the same scene twice, each time from the point of view of one of the actors, so that someone interacting with the app could embody the character and feel as though they were actually performing on stage. This was quite tricky for the actors, as they were alone on stage and had to pretend they were interacting with someone.
Featured in: The Guardian, The Telegraph
Role: Creative Director
Project Link: Google Play
Kind: Android App
Technology: 360º video, microphone, video, Android
Client: Samsung Electronic UK, Royal Shakespeare Company
Ad Agency: Cheil London
Production Company: UNIT9
Date: 2015