the ‘vault of the second story’ experience presents the history behind coca cola’s secret formula
composing twelve interactive installations and games, the ‘vault of the secret formula‘ was created by US-based creative agency second story interactive studio, in collaboration with donna lawrence productions and gallagher & associates for coca-cola.
as visitors step through the huge vault door at the ‘world of coca-cola‘ in atlanta, georgia (USA), they are transported into a tale about the most famous and mysterious trade secret in history—the secret formula of coca-cola. second story studio crafted a narrative experience to delight and surprise visitors and challenge their ideas about what is fiction and what is truth about the secret formula.
‘we conceived of media and design strategies flowing from the two aspects of the secret formula: the secrecy and mystery surrounding it, and the fun that comes from simply enjoying the product. this concept fueled the design and development of twelve media experiences that help deliver the visitor toward the exhibit’s cinematic climax.‘
see and read more about particular exhibitions of the show below, and at the ‘vault of the secret formula‘ web portal!
explanation and walk-through of the ‘vault of the secret formula’
a security monitor on the wall shows a live feed of the room. as visitors turn the corner, they see themselves captured as part of the security system. but this security monitor is not what it seems.
suddenly, a mysterious figure, the man in the hat, appears and physically manipulates the camera. as he does, live video overlays change the image: now it’s thermal, now it’s pixelated. this effect is performed using live compositing of a real-time video feed.
"security" images from previous homes of the secret formula are "revealed"
visitors stop to watch for the man in the hat
real-time video compositing creates mysterious effects
on a touchscreen in a pullout drawer, visitors can explore the various homes of coca-cola
when they open a drawer, visitors are surprised to find a screen in which they are immersed in a 3D digital world with a mysterious character.
this part of the exhibit, which is reminiscent of late-nineteenth-century pharmacies and soda fountains, contains shelves with artifacts and dozens of wooden drawers that can be opened and explored to find vintage documents, bottles, and other ephemera.
to the surprise of visitors who open this drawer, however, they find a screen on another security monitor. they see themselves from an unusual angle, directly overhead. their image is scanned, and then amazingly they are transformed into 3D computer data. suddenly, the mysterious man in the hat, walks through the scene. when visitors turn around, he’s not really there!
this unit utilizes a microsoft kinect depth-sensing camera, which turns visitors into data point clouds and immerses them into the security theme. this motif returns again and again in the exhibit, helping to create a consistent storyline.
the formula file videos are motion graphics pieces that tell stories of the secret formula
on the reactive shadow walls, microsoft kinects are used to create virtual shadows, which visitors use to reveal information
the bubble-izers use kinect depth-sensing cameras to transform visitors into bubbles
live footage – in this interactive game, visitors try to create the perfect coca-cola taste blend
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
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