Malaria: Life on the Frontline
A 360 documentary that places the viewer on the frontline of the malaria epidemic in rural Uganda. Directed by Darren Emerson for Comic Relief, it uses immersion and binaural sound to turn a distant statistic into something felt - and to move audiences to act. Shortlisted at the VR Awards 2018.
The challenge was to create Comic Relief and Sport Relief’s first ever VR experience, and use it to bring home the ongoing battle with malaria in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa.
The film follows those on the front line: locally trained medics carrying out the rapid diagnostic tests that decide between early, life-saving treatment and death. Shot across small villages, local hospitals and the deep red-clay landscapes of Uganda, it puts the viewer inside daily life with the disease.
“We wanted audiences to feel as close as possible to the threat people in Uganda confront every day – and to be moved to do something about it.”
Ashley Cowan, Producer and co-founder, East City Films
"Malaria takes a life every two minutes in Africa. This immersive 360 film takes viewers incredibly close to the daily threat faced by so many people living across the continent."
- Bill Griffin, Executive Creative Director, Comic Relief
Immersion and sound
Harnessing stereoscopic 360-degree capture, the film moves through villages, homes, and hospitals so audiences can understand the disease’s impact on daily life. The menacing buzz of mosquitoes, recorded on a binaural microphone, surrounds the viewer throughout, a constant reminder that a single bite can kill. Spatial sound deepens the sense of presence, connecting the viewer more profoundly to the reality on the ground.