Red Bull The Edge: Behind the scenes

It is the premiere of a virtual reality experience that combines 3D, weather and the sense of human touch. This requires a lot of technology, the mindset of engineers – and the idea of ​​two filmmakers This year the Cannes International Film Festival open.

We must discover the feeling of climbing the Matterhorn. “We want to convey the emotions that the great mountaineers feel when they reach the summit,” Stefan says. Consuelo adds: “That feeling of pride after a physical challenge. It’s where man and nature meet.”

In three years of work Red Bull The Edge Originated. As this VR premiere, Consuelo and Stefan had moments in which they asked themselves: Can we really make this happen?

Consuelo Fraunfelder and Stefan Lauper have already worked together on these films (the selection):

In order for the mountain to appear in 3D in virtual reality glasses, its terrain had to be scanned. And because no one can climb all the crevices and ice fields, all the hilltops and mountain ridges with a single camera, drones have taken over.

Benjamin Pinguet of senseFly says: “We needed to take pictures of the Matterhorn from different angles. That’s why we had to fly close to the wall.” Everything is coordinated with helicopters and gliders to ensure safety in the air.

The result is a three-dimensional model of the Matterhorn with an accuracy of ten centimeters. This has never happened before. But it was only the beginning. The model had to be coordinated with the real climbing wall in the Lucerne Transport Museum.

David’s company built the virtual reality for Red Bull The Edge. David says, “We wanted to do something we hadn’t done before in terms of technology and storytelling. That was our main source of inspiration.”

X Studio built a replica of Solvay’s Cottage. This is where the virtual reality experience on the Matterhorn begins. Next, visitors climb the five-meter climbing wall. In VR glasses you can see the Matterhorn wall.

20 wall-mounted knobs, precisely matched to the images in the VR goggles. The knobs that visitors see in the virtual world can also be perceived on the real climbing wall. And if you reach the top, you can even touch the cross-top version.

Visitors carry the computer in their backpack. High-end hardware produces 90 frames per second. While the movie gets 24 fps, it needs more in VR. Otherwise, the visitor may feel a virtual reality dizziness whose symptoms are similar to seasickness.

For David, it is a pleasure to see people at the top. “You reach the top, you look around – and you think: I’m really standing on the Matterhorn.” It was the same on top about 100 times for testing purposes.

And Consuelo, who gave the idea for Red Bull The Edge? I’ve actually climbed the Matterhorn ten times. “It’s wonderful – this experience activates all of our senses,” she says.