Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Penguin on the loose: Did one escape from the Biodôme?


Penguin on the loose: Did one escape from the Biodôme?


See our update below for the latest information.

Did a penguin escape from Montreal’s Biodôme?
That’s what TVA Nouvelles asked after it came across a YouTube video supposedly filmed by tourists.
In the video, a group of women visiting Olympic Stadium notice a penguin waddling along. The scene concludes when what looks to be a security guard says into a walkie-talkie “It’s okay, I found him,” and then asks the tourists to stop filming.

A TVA Nouvelles reporter decided to look into the video. Was it a viral marketing ploy by the Biodôme? Did a penguin really escape? Who made the video?
Screen Shot 2011-12-19 at 9.14.48 AM
Nadine Fortin, the Biodôme’s communication officer, said they are not responsible for the video and none of their penguins were used in filming.

“We never take the penguins out of their habitat,” she told TVA. “Anyway, to exit you need to pass at least two doors so it’s impossible for a penguin to escape. In addition, very few employees can get in (the habitat).”

The mystery continues...



UPDATED: 1:12 p.m.

Mystery solved!

Thanks to Gina Desjardins, an OpenFile reader who posted on our Facebook wall, we now know the people behind the runaway penguin video are from Centre NAD, a school for animation and design.
Pascal Dery, Centre NAD’s head of communication, gave some background information to OpenFile Montreal.

“(The video) is a student assignment from a third-year bachelor’s class with a concentration on media effects,” he said. “This assignment was to produce a hoax for YouTube. Each team created their own back story and incorporated 3D elements into real media.”

The centre’s Facebook page highlights media reports on their video, posted to YouTube on Dec. 12.

source

No comments: