Boris in the Boreal Forest interactive adventure video

Kathleen Rukavina
Oct 23, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 25, 2024

An entertaining and immersive adventure through Alberta's Mackenzie Region with Boris the Spruce Tree

Boris in the Boreal Forest adventure map includes 360° VR bear den and helicopter experiences!

What do you do when you're named the Forest Capital of Canada for a year and want to leave a lasting legacy that celebrates your region's rich forestry heritage? Our answer: create an adorable animated tree character and an interactive adventure video set in the boreal forest!

When the FCC 2024 committee approached Long Sleeve Productions in late 2023 seeking video content ideas, we proposed Boris the Spruce Tree and his interactive journey as a creative way to engage the local community with their forest environment while educating them about what makes the northern Alberta boreal so unique and vital to the Mackenzie Region.

Introducing our latest project, Boris in the Boreal Forest & his interactive adventure video! 👇

Boris the Spruce Tree is a wise and adventurous animated white spruce from the Buffalo Head Hills near La Crete, Alberta. Seeking adventure and curious about smoke in the area, he decides to pick up his roots and journey north to explore his neighborhood, trekking through the stunning and rugged Mackenzie Region.

The Boris in the Boreal Forest interactive adventure video combines animated segments featuring Boris with live-action footage of local forest experts and knowledge-keepers. Using cutting-edge interactive video technology, viewers can choose their own adventure by selecting from map stops or animated menus. Whether following the sequence or creating their own path through the boreal, every stop is both entertaining and educational!

Here's a quick summary of Boris' interactive adventure video stops:

▶️ Start

🌲🗺️🧭Meet Boris and set out on the adventure

Boris the Spruce Tree gets his map — Boris gets his boreal map delivered

1️⃣ Fort Vermilion Heritage Centre

Meet Fort Vermilion Heritage Centre Manager, Steven Simpson, to see a pioneer log home and test your boreal knowledge with a fun interactive quiz.

Birch bark basket — Steven Simpson shows a birch bark basket

2️⃣ Boreal History and Language Spotlight with a Dene Tha' Indigenous Elder

Meet James Ahnassay, former Dene Tha' Chief and language keeper, who shares how the boreal provided for First Nations in the area.

James Ahnassay, Dene Tha' Elder — James Ahnassay teaches about the boreal way of life

3️⃣ Get Directions

Meet Lisa Wardley, Mackenzie County Councilor, and one of the region's most vocal advocates makes a short cameo. Lisa and her white Tahoe are a familiar sight on the roads in the region, thanks to her active involvement in the community.

Lisa Wardley gives Boris directions — Boris asks Lisa for directions

4️⃣ Tree Health Check

Here we meet West Fraser Forester, Luke Detwiler, who teaches us about boreal habitat and tree health. Stick around to the end for a painful but funny lesson about being careful in the woods.

West Fraser Luke Detwiler Tree health check — Luke Detwiler gives the boreal a health check

5️⃣ Explore Machesis Lake

Meet Northern Lights Forest Education Society's Gale Hayday and John Thurston, and choose from six different activities including a beautiful and intimate kayak adventure around the lake discovering the "lilypad forest" and a 360 VR look inside a real bear's den!

6️⃣ Building homes with Luke

Here we meet up with Luke again, this time with his colleagues who are delivering locally-made wood products to home building sites in High Level.

Delivering wood to build homes in High Level — Luke Detwiler and West Fraser interns deliver wood

7️⃣ Learn Tree Planting

Meet one of Blue Collar Silviculture's tree planters, Clarkey, along with some of his friends who spend their summers plantings hundreds of thousands of trees in the Mackenzie Region.

Tree planting demonstration west of High Level — Clarkey gives tree planting instructions

8️⃣ Wildfire Centre

Stop in at the Wildfire Centre and meet Fire Officer Bentley, who gives us a tour through the different wildfire operations sites in the region including the tanker base, warehouse tour and the chance to take a smoky helicopter ride!

9️⃣ Dozer Defence

At our last stop, we meet Tolko Woodlands Manager, Jesse Petroskey, who gives us an entertaining orientation through a real dozer line between a wildfire zone and what the dozer line protected.

Jesse Petrovskey Tolko visits a wildfire zone — Jesse Petroskey shows the effectiveness of a dozer line

⏹️ Finish

Our approach to Boris' interactive adventure video

Boris' interactive adventure was designed as a children's edutainment video, filmed from a first-person perspective to immerse viewers directly into the boreal environment, allowing them to engage with Boris and the hosts. Using a cinema camera, handheld gimbal, drone, and 360° VR camera, we created a fully immersive experience. The hosts were largely unscripted, adding a relaxed, conversational tone to the content.

We originally created Boris' adventure for 8-year-olds, but the engaging hosts and rich content have drawn in an unexpected audience—adults! In fact, Boris has even earned a spot on the activity calendar at a retirement residence in Calgary (🙋‍♀️Hi, Mom!).

Boris in the Boreal Forest is the first of two interactive videos Long Sleeve is producing this year. We're excited to show people what's possible by combining video with technology that makes it more engaging and educational. Nearly all aspects of the project was produced in-house, with the exception of the final character design, animation, and voiceover.

We hope you enjoy meeting Boris and the friendly and knowledgeable people of the Mackenzie Region, as well as learn a few things more about northwest Alberta's boreal forest.