Barclays – Back to the Future VR Film
Client: Barclays
Agency: Vismedia
Role: Creative Director
Formats: Virtual Reality Film
How do you transform a corporate timeline into an immersive experience that resonates with employees on an emotional level?
Barclays wanted to celebrate its history in a way that was far more impactful than a presentation or slideshow. The goal was to create a film experience that would not only educate internal teams about the bank’s legacy, but also foster a stronger emotional connection to its culture and evolution.
They needed a format that felt bold, modern and shareable, yet deeply rooted in the brand’s story.
I led the creative direction of the entire experience, shaping the narrative structure, visual language and tone of the VR film.
This included overseeing all 3D production, supervising integration of CGI and live-action footage, guiding design and animation teams, and ensuring a consistent visual style that remained both brand-aligned and immersive.
We developed a five-minute VR film that reimagined Barclays' timeline as an immersive journey through key moments in its evolution. Blending live-action performance with fully CG environments, the film moved through abstract, theatrical sets that highlighted innovation, resilience and human stories behind the bank’s transformation.
The piece was built to be platform agnostic, ensuring accessibility across VR headsets, desktop and mobile. While the experience was crafted with 360° immersion in mind, the visual language remained cinematic and focused, never overwhelming the viewer but always inviting deeper engagement.
The film premiered as part of Barclays' internal communication efforts and quickly became a flagship piece for employee engagement.
It helped reframe how the organisation told its own story, shifting from passive communication to something participants could feel part of.
The project also demonstrated how immersive storytelling can work within formal enterprise environments without compromising clarity or production quality.
The experience combined live-action footage with fully animated 3D worlds, all rendered in photoreal quality. Designed to run on desktop, tablet and VR headsets, the piece maintained visual consistency across formats.
Why it matters.
This project shows how immersive storytelling can be a powerful tool for internal brand building.
By blending narrative, performance and virtual design, we created a VR experience that didn’t just inform employees about Barclays' past, it invited them to feel part of it.
