Museum
Wilson's Creek Battlefield Museum
When Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield museum underwent a major upgrade, the National Park Service called on Wide Awake Films to produce new video content and interactive exhibits.
We created a large 4K touchscreen map using GIS data from 1860 to give the viewer an idea of what the nation’s demographics looked like at the time, in terms of young men (15-19 year olds), slave owners, and immigrant populations. Wide Awake Films handled research and interface design, while our friends at Propaganda3 supported the coding portion.
For the museum’s Interactive Artillery Exhibit, we filmed with multiple cameras, including the super slow-motion Phantom, to show each bullet as it’s fired into ballistics gel.
Master Sergeant Mike Hester leads the viewer through the intricacies of each gun and fires each one on a closed range to showcase its accuracy and compare features. Viewers can choose from seven Civil War rifles, ranging from an early 1816 Flintlock to the much advanced and improved 1866 Allin Conversion rifle.
The Heavy Artillery Exhibit provides a complete overview on how infantry regiments transported, loaded, and fired Civil War-era cannons. Animated sequences and graphic overlays help to describe the job of each position in the artillery unit and convey its importance to the whole.
A pre-visualization image of part of the museum exhibit featuring an ultra-wide video display and a 4K interactive map.
WICR: AV2 Touchscreen Map - Motion Test
In-Depth Slow-Motion Filming
One exhibit featured in the museum allows a viewer to choose between seven rifles of the Civil War, ranging from an early 1816 Flintlock to the much advanced and improved 1866 Allin Conversion rifle. Master Sergeant Mike Hester leads the viewer through the intricacies of each gun and fires them on a closed range to showcase its accuracy and compare each weapon. This series was shot on multiple cameras and even super slow-motion Phantom cameras to show the damage the bullets could do when fired into ballistics gel.
Cutting Edge Animations
Another exhibit featured in the museum explains how heavy artillery was transported, loaded and fired during the Civil War. Animated sequences and graphic overlays help to convey the importance of each position in the artillery unit.
