MAYFLOWER DOME
I fully researched and developed a concept plus script for a 20-minute long immersive dome experience that would enhance Plymouth’s tourism offering.
The experience would be shot using a combination of live action and CGI techniques, combined with haptic motion chairs and mist sprays that would fully immerse the audience in the the Mayflower’s journey.
The experience drew the audience into the story of the early pilgrims and their treacherous voyage to the New World.
THE IDEA
“This awe-inspiring, immersive dome experience will place visitors at the heart of one the most dramatic moments in the Mayflower’s journey – a treacherous storm that sees the ship’s main support structure break…
As we witness the pilgrims’ desperate attempts to rectify the perilous situation, we’ll branch off into four pilgrims’ backstories: William Bradford, Ellen More, Francis Eaton and Captain Christopher Jones. Each of these rich stories of love and loss will humanise the pilgrims’ plight, and give the audience a glimpse into what drove them to board the Mayflower and undertake the fateful journey.”
THE SENSORY EXPERIENCE
“Visitors find themselves onboard the cargo deck of the Mayflower. A subtle, cold mist sprays throughout the dome as they realise they are surrounded by the sea on all sides. Peering up, grey clouds gather in an ominous swirl in the sky.
As the ship pitches side to side, barrels of beer roll around the wooden flooring and pale-faced passengers are shunted around in the same directions as the audience’s haptic-motion chairs.”
EXCERPTS
“Above, lightning continues to crawls across the sky like electric veins – lights in the dome flicker accordingly. In the corner of the ship, to the audience’s left, a young man, William Bradford, scribbles furiously onto parchment paper. He holds up a coat over his paper to protect it from the rain.”
"Bradford will cough into a handkerchief while on the boat, which will drive a flashback sequence to his life as a child. The younger William Bradford is bedridden, reading his Bible. He reads aloud Acts 27:9-10: 'So Paul warned them, ‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our lives also.’'"
