The world’s most dangerous selfie or an elaborate hoax? Last week the web went into a spin when a video surfaced of a man running towards a raging tornado in the Australian Outback just so he could take a selfie with it.
So far the video has generated over 3 million views, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7aRR86VfTY It can now be revealed that the clip was actually a stunt for the Australian cinematic release of Into The Storm, in cinemas September 4.
Australian distributor Roadshow Films wanted to give Into The Storm a uniquely Australian twist so decided to work with independent production company The Woolshed to create something that would beg the question, “Is this selfie guy for real?” This topic was hotly debated, not just amongst people on YouTube but by the world’s media. In the first 7 days the authenticity of the video was discussed, dissected and distributed far and wide – ‘tornado selfie’ was a hit.
For those who weren’t sure if it was real there was one major clue that should have given the game away. The video was launched from the YouTube channel of Terry Tufferson, the prankster whose ‘Man fights off great white shark’ video recently became a YouTube phenomenon. It just so happens that Terry is a regular collaborator with The Woolshed. Leveraging off his previous success, Terry agreed to launch ‘tornado selfie’ from his YouTube channel, again asking the world whether what they were viewing was real or fake.
Initially ‘tornado selfie’ was shared with a fairly small group of youth publishers, portals, and aggregators, but before long it had been picked up by a swathe of mainstream media organisations. At this point the video became truly viral and was featured on dozens of global outlets from Australia to Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, Latin America, the USA, and back again.
The interactive marketing activity for Into The Storm didn’t just stop there, however. Roadshow Films also worked with creative technology powerhouse Grand Visual and outdoor media specialists JCDecaux Australia to bring the tornado from the Outback to Sydney’s streets. Live video footage of the street was combined with pre-rendered motion graphics to develop a seamless augmented reality execution that fooled pedestrians and passers-by into thinking they had been transported into the eye of a storm.
See reactions to the outdoor experience here: http://youtu.be/NnuUzYcUNvE