British VFX company The Mill – part of Technicolor Group – designed Zero Malaria Experience, an immersive social awareness experience and an interactive installation showing how innovation and funding can save millions of children’s lives and unlock potential across the globe.
The experience was hosted on 4 November at London’s popular tourist attraction Outernet. It was launched in Outernet’s main space, the Now Building, provided by Outernet’s official charity partner, the ADOT Foundation. It was attended by over 100 high profile guests including leaders in malaria science and global health, as well as a range of campaigners working to fight the disease.
Zero Malaria Experience was built at The Mill and filmed at creative production studio ZeroSpace in New York, in partnership with Nevada’s 4Wall Entertainment, using LED stages with virtual production technology. In collaboration with Imperial College London, The Mill utilised a creative and data driven approach to tackling awareness of the fatal disease.
Led by The Mill’s creative director Will MacNeil, the studio developed the concept for the immersive experience and the new film starring Beckham. It was also involved in the production of the experience. The data-led experience uses new research to allow guests to select different combinations from a “toolbox” of cutting-edge innovations to demonstrate how many millions of lives can be saved from malaria when used together.
The Mill president Mark Benson said, “At The Mill and the Technicolor Group we are passionate about harnessing new technologies to tell stories and narratives in compelling, new and innovative ways, and to engage with audiences in the changing ways in which the world consumes content. When it came to telling the story of malaria, our feeling was that a new approach could drive a stronger set of messages. Something bold and beautiful, but firmly rooted in facts; a rich tapestry of data that encapsulates the terrible reality of the disease. We have designed the Malaria No More UK immersive experience with The Outernet space in mind. It’s not an easy story to tell, but we hope we have found an effective and impactful way to do so.”
The Outernet CEO Philip O’Ferrall shared, “Being part of a mission to end this terrible disease is a great honour and it’s a privilege to use the immense screens at Outernet to convey such an important and vital message.”
A representative from the ADOT Foundation expressed, “At ADOT, we believe in the power of “unity” – a core principle of the Zero Malaria Experience, which emphasises the vital need for collaboration to defeat this deadly disease. We are proud to support this immersive experience and hope that by using Outernet’s interactive platform we can shift perspectives and appreciate a collective effort- a resource to experience oneness.”
Premiering alongside the experience was a film highlighting the importance of scientific innovation in tackling malaria over the past 60 years and the life-saving potential of future tools when we work together. The film stars former footballer David Beckham, who has shown support for the cause. Beckham launched the film to nearly 150 million users on his social channels, alongside an alliance of malaria scientists, campaigners and global health experts.
He stated, “As a long-time ambassador of Malaria No More UK, I understand the urgent need to get the malaria fight back on track. The Zero Malaria Experience and film aim to show the power of teamwork to beat one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases. It reminds us that we really can do incredible things when our scientists work together with leaders from around the world.”
Malaria No More UK CEO Dr Astrid Bonfield commented, “Ahead of the G20 this year, I hope the Zero Malaria Experience demonstrates to leaders around the world the life-saving power of teamwork to provide the support our scientists need. We need governments around the world to fully fund Gavi and the Global Fund so our life saving tools can reach those who need them, as well as investing in a pipeline of future innovations. And we need the UK government in particular to maintain its global leadership by funding these critical organisations and backing world-leading British-backed malaria science. This can save millions of children’s lives and help to foster greater stability across economies, health systems and societies for years to come.”