To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, the BBC collaborated with Visualise to produce ‘Trooping the Colour – 360’ – a 360 video allowing viewers to experience the birthday parade from the completely unique perspective of the Queen’s eye view.

Filmed with unprecedented access during the Major General’s Review on Saturday 28th May, viewers will be placed on the dais on Horse Guards Parade Ground, where the Queen sits for the ceremony. It forms part of the BBC’s initial look at how immersive technologies such as 360 video can deliver distinctive content to audiences today.

The five minute video will show key parts of the parade, including the Queen’s Royal Salute. Motion graphics have been overlaid on the video to provide additional visual information of the units involved in the event.

Filming the Major General’s Review in 360 meant there was only one opportunity to capture the 90-minute parade uninterrupted from a Queen’s eye view. Strict protocol was followed to ensure we met the requirements of the MoD and the Sargent General granted access to the Horse Guards Ground for the filming.

Many failsafe measures were put into place to ensure smooth capture including adding a ‘roof’ to the Queen Rig positioned on the dais to protect against the elements. Two additional rigs were placed in the grandstand area capturing around 45 minutes of content from key moments and offering additional perspectives.

Stitching the content was relatively straightforward due to the simple framing of the Parade and positions of the camera rigs, however, we did have to stitch 90 minutes worth of clips, resulting in a file just shy of 1TB, the longest single shot we’ve recorded.

“The BBC has a history of innovation and engaging its audience with new immersive experiences, and the Queen’s Birthday Parade is no exception. We worked to bring an iconic British event to life in a way that allows digital audiences the opportunity to become involved with a unique experience viewers get to watch something from a very special perspective – a perspective usually reserved for the Queen, and the ability to take in the details of this extraordinary event in a way not possible in other mediums.” Will McMaster, Head of VR, Visualise

“Giving people the chance to view Trooping the Colour from a Queen’s eye view allows us to give people a real sense of presence at the event. It’s early days for immersive technologies, but we are beginning to explore what is possible with 360 video and understand its potential for getting audiences closer to the action.” Christopher Nundy, BBC Producer.

To take your unique position alongside the Queen visit the BBC Taster from Thursday 9 June and experience the pomp and ceremony in a way never seen before.