Welcombe Hills School is the first Lead Special School in the RSC Associate Schools Programme, powered by Samsung. The Associate Schools Programme – involving 246 schools, almost 1000 teachers and nearly 140,000 students every year – aims to widen access to Shakespeare’s work, live theatre and theatre-making.

Over two days in June, over 180 students at Welcombe Hills participated in a wide range of immersive and multi-sensory experiences in order to explore the themes, characters and key scenes in Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the activity innovative technology was used to tailor the experience for each student depending on their needs. With the support of RSC Education Associate Practitioners, every student was able to take part in sessions that enabled them to explore Shakespeare’s text through the use of technology and engage in the world of the play through the eyes of different characters.

Samsung Gear 360 cameras were used to help students film moments from the play that were being explored by their peers and then put themselves in the heart of the action through viewing the footage on the immersive Gear VR headsets. Students were also invited to take part in a creative digital costume design activity on the Samsung Flip – taking inspiration from costumes used in previous RSC productions of Romeo and Juliet. Students also had the opportunity to create their very own text-based soundscapes using easy to use music editing apps on Samsung Galaxy tablets.

Staff at the school also delivered classroom-based activities to engage students in the play, including designing trailers for their own version of Romeo and Juliet, mask-making, a multi-sensory exploration of a Verona marketplace, and creating invitations for Capulet’s ball. Students even took part in Romeo and Juliet activities in the hydrotherapy pool.

After the visit from Samsung and the RSC in June, Welcombe Hills Schools then joined 536 Associate Schools pupils from across the country in early July to present their interpretations of Romeo and Juliet on the RSC’s Swan stage.

Aleyne Johnson, Director of Government Relations & External Relations, Samsung UK said, “We are proud to support the RSC’s fantastic outreach programme enabling children and young people across the country to engage with vital cultural experiences that enrich our lives. It’s been rewarding to see how technology can play a role in widening access and tailoring learning for students at Welcombe Hills and we hope they had a memorable time.”

Georgia White, RSC Regional Associate Schools Manager, said, “As the only Lead Special School in the RSC’s Associate Schools Programme, Welcombe Hills continues to demonstrate a wonderful range of creative ways of introducing Shakespeare to all of the students at the school, adapting activities to meet the different needs of their students.

“The two days were a fantastic opportunity to bring Romeo and Juliet to life for 181 students in a way that was vivid, accessible and enjoyable for all. Staff at the school worked extremely hard to ensure that the students were engaging in activities that introduced or developed their understanding of the text, themes, characters and key scenes in the play. The different uses of technology in each of the activities really helped to immerse the students in the play, offering experiences that could be adapted for all.”

Jo Bradley, Assistant Headteacher, Welcombe Hills School, said, “Our long-standing relationship with the RSC has enabled our students to bring Shakespeare to life through multi-sensory approaches. Pupils have enjoyed playing with the language and exploring the themes of many of Shakespeare’s plays throughout their time at school. The Romeo and Juliet takeover was a true collaboration where we were able to explore how technology can play a part in engaging pupils with Shakespeare’s work. Pupils of all ages and abilities were immersed in the world of the play: each classroom became a different setting in the play, and actors and teachers worked in role. It was a truly memorable experience which saw an increase in pupil engagement and communication.”

Visitors in the queue were able to view VR content from rock duo Royal Blood, and took selfies on the 360 cameras, before entering the tunnel that led them into the Hypercube. Once inside, the Samsung Galaxy S8 took centre stage, controlling the audio and visual effects, building to create a fully immersive experience. On Sunday evening, DJ Max Hagenbach joined the action to entertain guests within the Hypercube.

Over 4000 festival-goers enjoyed the experience, with users continuing to share their #ShareTheStage moment.

The Hypercube will complete its summer festivals journey at Bestival next week (7 – 10^th September), in Dorset.

For more info on the Hypercube, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/hypercube.

To read more about the Hypercube at Boardmasters see here.

Follow the action live via #ShareTheStage.

This weekend, Samsung’s Hypercube opened its doors to excited Boardmasters festival-goers. The interactive, audio visual experience gave visitors the chance to create their own personalised ‘360 Infinity Selfie’, that was then sent straight to their Inbox.

The Hypercube structure was unmissable with its bespoke iridescent finish shining in the sun. Whilst in the queue, visitors were able to get hands-on with Samsung Gear VR headsets and Gear 360 cameras. Once inside the Hypercube, the Galaxy S8 took centre stage, controlling the audio and visual effects, building to create a fully immersive experience and exciting atmosphere.

A total of 6,000 festival-goers enjoyed the visually engaging experience, with users sharing their #ShareTheStage moment.

The Hypercube will be continuing its summer festivals road trip at Reading Festival (August bank holiday weekend, 25^th – 27^th August) and Bestival (7 – 10^th September) with new exciting aspects to be revealed.

For more info on the Hypercube, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/hypercube.

Follow the action via #ShareTheStage.

 

31 July 2017 – With festival season in full swing, Samsung has announced a fully interactive, audio-visual experience that will be visiting some of the UK’s biggest music festivals this summer.

Building on the success of the ‘Hypercube’, which toured the UK in 2016, the 12 metre high structure will be popping up at some of the UK’s best-loved festivals until September, after kicking off at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park, London.

Whilst some of the world’s biggest acts perform on stage, the Hypercube 360 Infinity Selfie experience allows fans to be at the heart of their very own action-packed, epic user-controlled performance, thanks to the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone.

When approaching the entrance to the Hypercube, at either Boardmasters, Reading Festival or Bestival, festival-goers will have the chance to immerse themselves in a Virtual Reality experience, featuring exclusive content, via the Samsung Gear VR.

Upon entering the Hypercube 360 Infinity Selfie, participants will find themselves transported into another dimension where they will be at the epi-centre of an adrenaline-fuelled moment, up to 30 festival fans at a time will be able to create their own unique 360 Infinity Selfie using Samsung devices, with individual Samsung Galaxy S8 handsets controlling different light and sound attributes inside the Hypercube. Each unique experience will be captured in 360 from a camera suspended from the roof, and will be shared with festival-goers as they exit the space.

The Hypercube 360 Infinity Selfie will arrive at:

• Boardmasters – 9^th-13^th August, Cornwall
• Reading Festival – 25^th-27^th August, Reading
• Bestival – 7^th-10^th September, Dorset

“At Samsung we want to give everyone the chance to enjoy a brilliant summer of UK events, whether they are there in person or seeing something incredible created by their friends. Through the new Galaxy S8 and Gear 360 camera, we will give people the opportunity to create and share phenomenal personalised content through our partnerships with some of the UK’s best-loved music festivals. We will be touring some uniquely brilliant experiences, that only Samsung could produce, that ultimately make people feel differently about our brand and products” Said Sam Grant, Marketing Director at Samsung Electronics UK.

Those unlucky ones without a ticket to some of this summer’s hottest festivals can still be part of the experience, as Samsung and Royal Blood have just released an exclusive 360 video. The official 360 music video was shot live from the Infinity Room in April, for Royal Blood’s brand new single ‘I Only Lie When I Love You’.

For more info on the Hypercube activity, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/hypercube

27 July 2017 – Samsung has announced an official partnership with Tough Mudder, the leading global sports, active lifestyle and media brand, to deliver exclusive content and training tips across Samsung devices and unique on-site experiences at Tough Mudder’s UK events.

The partnership will kick off at the Tough Mudder Yorkshire event on 29th July and run through to the end of the Tough Mudder 2018 event season. Samsung will enable participants to live life unscripted and use the technology in their Gear VR headsets, Gear 360 portable cameras and wearable fitness devices – with S8 smart phones at the heart of the activation, for a truly hands on experience.

Ahead of each Tough Mudder event, participants will have access to 360 preview video content of each obstacle course event, helping them prepare for the challenge ahead and allowing people all over the world to enjoy the full Tough Mudder experience from their devices. Samsung will also be developing training programmes across its best wearable fitness devices, including the Gear S3, designed to facilitate Mudders’ training ahead of each event. View the film here:

Samsung is the sponsor of Tough Mudder’s new-for-2017 Finisher obstacle Kong, which has been developed exclusively for Tough Mudder Legionnaires (those who have participated in at least one Tough Mudder event). During each event, participants and supporters can be part of the action with Samsung, as they capture content from Kong using the Gear 360 camera.

At Tough Mudder’s UK events in 2017, Samsung will also have an on-site presence in the Mudder Village, enhancing the experience for participants and spectators by providing exclusive VR footage of Tough Mudder courses on Samsung devices, product displays and the chance to go head-to-head in a challenge fit for the toughest of Mudders.

Also in the ‘Mudder Village’ participants and spectators will have the chance to capture a memento of their Tough Mudder experience in 360, by being photographed hanging from the side of the container on ‘Kong 360’ which replicates the ‘Kong’ obstacle most participants cannot attempt.

“Tough Mudder is thrilled to welcome Samsung to our family of UK sponsors for the 2017 and 2018 season,” said Adam Slutsky, President of Tough Mudder, Inc. “Like Tough Mudder, Samsung is committed to innovation and developing products that enhance its customer experience, and we are proud to partner with Samsung and continue to enhance the Mudder journey for hundreds of thousands of participants across the UK. We look forward to working with Samsung and providing exclusive 360 content and training tips across their best-in-class products.”

Sam Grant, Marketing Director at Samsung Electronics UK said: “Being outdoors and enjoying sport is a massive part of summer in the UK, and we’re thrilled to be aligning with one of the fastest growing participation events in the country, Tough Mudder. For the activities we have planned throughout the season we are focussed on delivering experiences only Samsung could, using our Gear 360 and wearable technologies to engage with both participants and supporters alike”.

From now until the 1st October 2017, Samsung is offering all Tough Mudder participants 15% off GearS3 and GearFit2 when they order from Samsung.com. Redemption codes will be sent with the Tough Mudder registration email.

For more information about the partnership, visit: http://www.samsung.com/uk/tough-mudder/ –

London UK – June 13, 2017 – Samsung Electronics today announced partnerships with BuzzFeed and NowThis, giving consumers access to new and immersive experiences made possible by Samsung’s Gear 360. Since early June, BuzzFeed and NowThis have each been creating and publishing engaging videos and photos across social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube. These partnerships will result in more than 140 pieces of content and reach over 300 million consumers.

To inspire a new culture of creating and consuming immersive content, BuzzFeed and NowThis will offer viewers easily snackable content: from simple how-to’s to the front lines of live 360-degree moments and breaking news worldwide. BuzzFeed will push virality to new heights by taking viewers on journeys through new cultures with BuzzFeed News around the world, as well as everyday experiences that are true to BuzzFeed’s style. NowThis will immerse viewers in 360-degree cityscapes and provide exclusive access to new places and ancient traditions from the comfort of their own home.

“Our 360-degree and virtual reality technologies enable more interactive storytelling to help consumers gain a deeper understanding of the world,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “These partnerships are a testament to our dedication to reimagining the way moments are captured and shared, and making these immersive experiences accessible to more consumers.”

Samsung builds on its continued efforts to shape a new era of journalism and content consumption by giving viewers access to news and content from all angles. Through partnerships and collaborations, Samsung hopes to inspire Millennials and Generation Z to contribute, create and share their own 360-degree videos and experiences.

“We’re excited to partner with Samsung to give our audience engaging, social 360-degree video content,” said Matthew Henick, Head of Development, BuzzFeed. “Samsung’s 360-degree technology will enable BuzzFeed to use our ‘test and learn’ strategy to unlock new kinds of shareable content, while learning more about how audiences are consuming and using it.”

“We’ve seen a ton of success with our millennial audience delivering the content they want, on the platforms they want, and in the formats, they want,” said Christian Tom, Publisher, NowThis.
“Integrating Samsung’s 360-degree technology allows us to take our storytelling capabilities a step further and give our audience a deeper look into places and experiences they might not otherwise see, through the NowThis lens.”

Samsung recently announced its latest Samsung Gear 360, a 4K-resolution-capable 360-degree camera with enhanced features for easier user operation and high-quality content. For more product information, please visit
http://www.samsungmobilepress.com