Google Master & Margarita

A beautifully innovative immersion into a literary masterpiece. ‘The Master & Margarita. I Was There’ was created to take audiences on a journey. One that seamlessly blends classic literature with innovative technology and enabled audiences to explore new and extraordinary depths of Mikhail Bulgakov’s influential work. Readers are given the opportunity to converse freely with favourite characters, each interaction leading to the discovery of one of seven key scenes. Layer upon layer of rich illustration has been meticulously crafted for each, allowing the user to see and hear the surreal story brought to life. An invitation to become a narrator in a live 360º reading of the novel was revealed within the experience, fueling engagement and sharing. Through a modern multimedia interpretation of a culturally prominent classic, contemporary audiences were introduced to and could finally be a part of this iconic 20th century text. Each of the seven famous scenes was first illustrated by hand before being brought into Photoshop. Attention to detail was vital, from the architecture to the hair-styles. Each scene was then divided into foreground, midground, and background elements to create a sense of depth. Cinema 4D was used to ensure the lighting was perfect, whilst sound effects, character voiceovers, animation and movement was added to bring them to life in a way that offered a fresh and modern perspective, but also stayed faithful to the original text. The ripples were felt across Russia, and around the world, with over half a million visits and 20,000 shares of the website in the first six weeks.