BREAKING: Episode of German series “Doppelhaushälfte” Filmed in Somnium Space Metaverse

In a news release on Medium Somnium Space announced that an entire episode of the groundbreaking ZDFneo comedy series “Doppelhaushälfte” was filmed inside Somnium.

Somnium Space, a leading metaverse for social interaction and immersive experiences, has once again proven to be an extremely versatile platform that supports many use cases, from virtual events to education and beyond. And now we know that the platform was chosen as the VR platform to film an entire episode of the groundbreaking ZDFneo comedy series “Doppelhaushälfte”. The episode, called “Meta”, takes place entirely in the Somnium Space.

The episode features the Sawadi-Kröger and Knuppe families attending a virtual art opening, exhibiting the work of Mari’s brother Brian. Watch the official and hilarious trailer below.

Official Trailer of ZDFneo “Doppelhaushälfte” Episode “Meta” Filmed Live in Somnium Space Metaverse

All of the buildings and places featured in the episode were actual creations of our users, and everything was filmed live, without any post-animation or other tricks
Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space.

It’s an amazing feat and required the entire film crew of “Doppelhaushälfte” to navigate in VR, with actors wearing VR glasses, headsets, controllers, and full-body trackers to control avatars specially designed for the series. As we can read in the press release more than 200 hours of footage has been recorded inside Somnium Space across 4 full days of recordings. It propels German fiction into the future as it is the world’s first TV series to venture into a virtual reality world. The community has known it for a long time, but this landmark moment really showcases the potential of VR in general and Somnium Space in particular, and how it can revolutionize the entertainment industry.

As Artur Sychov stated, everything was filmed live, without the use of any special tricks. And it is great learn that community members were used as extras. The likes of Denevraut, TheRealCyberPunk88, CrazyNici, Metaveo, Snailstrip, Blake Hotz and Artific all contributed. ISG and Oasis Meta Games also deserved a special mention.

Shots from Official Trailer of ZDFneo “Doppelhaushälfte” Episode “Meta” shot inside Somnium Space. Cameraman: Tilo Hauke

As Somnium Space continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in virtual reality, we can expect to see more innovative and groundbreaking projects like “Doppelhaushälfte” in the future. The episode showcases the potential of virtual reality and how it can change the way we think about storytelling, entertainment, and the world around us.

Worth mentioning is also that no additional virtual sets were built for the filming. Another testament of how versatile and amazing Somnium Space as a platform is.

Watch MRTV episode featuring Artur Sychov, explaining about the episode.

Official Behind the scenes of ZDFneo “Doppelhaushälfte” Episode “Meta” Filmed Live in Somnium Space

More Info

Dennis Schanz directed the series, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Christoph Mushayija Rath. “Doppelhaushälfte” is produced on behalf of ZDFneo by ICONOCLAST Films, with ZDF editorial supervision by Lucia Haslauer and Melvina Kotios.

The second season of “Doppelhaushälfte” can be seen starting Friday, April 28, 2023, 10:00 AM, in the ZDFmediathek, and from May 9, 2023, 9:45 PM, every Tuesday in double episodes on ZDFneo. The sixth episode “Meta” will air on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 10:10 PM, on ZDFneo.

Official ZDF press release — https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemitteilung/weltweit-einmalig-zdfneoriginal-doppelhaushaelfte-laesst-komplette-folge-im-metaverse-spielen

TV Series press portal — https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemappe/comedyserien-fruehling-in-zdfneo

About ZDF

ZDF is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany. ZDF had the highest market share among TV channels in Germany in 2022 with 14.5 percent.