Beringia (2020)

Beringia Crossroads of the Continents is an 18-minute documentary-style science film we developed and produced for the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre.

Client

Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Government of Yukon, Department of Tourism and Culture

The challenge

The Beringia Centre is the Yukon’s Ice Age Natural History museum. Its flagship interpretive film is played in its theatre several times each day, but at 25 years old it had become outdated. The Centre was looking for a fresh approach that would appeal to its 20,000+ annual visitors and reflect new findings in archeology, paleontology, and Indigenous knowledge.

Deliverables

Crossroads of the Continent, an 18-minute documentary-style science film, film trailer, an animated map, educational image catalogue.

Target audience

25,000+ annual visitors from a broad range of demographics including:

International tourists (many of whom do not speak English fluently)

Non-specialist adults with an interest in Yukon’s natural history, prehistory and culture

Local families, school groups and summer camp programs

Strategy & STORY

Our Shot in the Dark team worked closely with interpretive staff, paleontologists, archeologists and cultural experts to define the central narrative and key educational elements for the film. With this information, we combined forces with Outpost 31 to create a team of filmmakers and animators to tell the story using interviews, narration, 3D data animations and digital avatars that encompass 150,000 years of Yukon’s past, present and future.

Results

An engaging short film that interweaves scientific information with educational cultural and landscape references and animations.

Project Team

Kelly Milner: Producer, Writer

Misha Donohoe: Creative Producer, Writer, Animation Supervisor, Illustrator

Neil MacDonald: Co-Producer, Director

David Hamelin: Post-Production Supervisor, Editor

Jayden Soroka: Animation Supervisor, 3D Animations

Brendan Preston: Director of Photography

Bob Hayes & Joella Hogan: Content Advisors