Called “Through the Ages: President Obama Celebrates America’s National Parks”, the 360-degree, virtual reality video features 11 different views of Yosemite-including El Cap Meadow, the Merced River, Glacier Point, and Tenaya Lake-all narrated by President Obama himself.
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“We know that protecting and preserving places like Yosemite, and all of our National Parks, is more important today than ever”, he says in the film, warning of the threats climate change can have on the parks and creatures that live there.
Snapped just outside the door to the Oval Office by White House photographer, Pete Souza, Obama, without his suit jacket, looks skyward at the video, which was recorded over two-and-a-half days of hiking, visiting with elementary school children, and chatting with park rangers. The White House’s “Every Kid in the Park” initiative launched in September 2015 provides all fourth graders and their families free access to the country’s public parks and waters for one year.
Owners of the Samsung Gear VR headset can download the video Oculus Store, but Oculus Rift owners will have to wait.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
President obama can make anything look fun.
The video was filmed over Father’s Day weekend with help from National Geographic and Felix & Paul Studios. (You can click over right now and see it here.) “Through the Ages” will also be available soon on Oculus Rift, for those interested in the fully immersive virtual reality experience.
Like much VR content now being produced, it’s essentially a marketing video by the federal government to showcase one of America’s most popular natural destinations as well as the Obama Administration’s efforts to promote environmentalism.
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Ultimately, the film gives people who might not get a chance to visit Yosemite a way to experience brief moments of its grandeur. A browser version of the video can be found on the National Geographic Facebook page, where viewers can rotate the video player to glimpse the wonder of Yosemite while Obama delivers his sermon.
