National Geographic Channel

Rebuilding the  Titanic

Format: Immersive Experience c.2011
Fig 17a. National Geographic Channel
Rebuilding the Titanic

Quick lad, telegraph the harbor master! RMS Titanic film-o-tronically re-fabricated! Stop! Single flick of virtual time portal's controls raises her from keel to smokestacks!  Stop!

When the RMS Titanic was finished she was the world's largest moving man-made object. Stop motion, CGI and archival materials are combined to virtually move visitors through time, revealing the history and construction of this legendary oceanic vessel.

The Challenge

The Titanic is, unfortunately, most well-known for its tragic and enigmatic sinking. Most resources explore only that aspect of the legend's history. The "Rebuilding the Titanic" series offers a break from that convention by demonstrating the techniques and materials used to build this momentous feat of naval engineering. The serie's web persona needed to dive deeper into that content while delivering the history behind the birth of the legendary ship.

The Solution

Copious research into Titanic's construction led to the implementation of two separate interactives that stylistically leverage the grace of the Edwardian era. A 3D Titanic rotator that allowed visitors to explore the finished ship from any angle and a content rich interactive Timeline of the ship's construction. The Timeline is a carefully planned combination of stop-motion animation and CGI effects that allows the visitor to observe the construction of this remarkable feat of engineering in a tastefully arranged chronological timeline. From a fixed perspective, the visitor can fast forward or rewind history to see the Titanic grow from the ground up. The unique timeline navigation can be paused at key milestones in Titanic's construction for a deeper examination of content. Informational nuggets reveal the history and inside story of this enduring marvel. Included in the timeline's major historical milestones are dozens of content modules that contain over 100 features composed of archival video, images and historical facts.

The Success

This engaging set of interactives was featured on industry sites including; Communication Arts, Creativity Online, and more as the premier Titanic online interactive. 55% of the "Rebuilding the Titanic" series page visits and 20% of all site traffic originated from visits to the interactives. On average visitors spent four and a half minutes exploring the interactives reflecting the work's ability to capture and hold a browser's audience.

Project Services


  • User Experience
  • Conceptualization
  • R and D Prototyping
  • Copy and Content
  • Animation
  • Sound Design
  • Video Production
  • Design
  • Development


Press Awards & More


  • Total Award Items: 1
  • Total News Items: 0
  • Total Items Combined: 1