Moment Factory, a multidisciplinary entertainment studio with over 24 years of expertise in creating immersive experiences, is celebrating a recent project with the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), a new cultural institution in Washington, D.C.
The studio collaborated with MCAAD to create the Perpetual Story Machine, an innovative two-part installation designed to bring the American Dream to life through a fully immersive and interactive experience.
A 360-degree leap in storytelling
Moment Factory took the lead in shaping the creative direction and producing content for the Perpetual Story Machine, a cutting-edge installation housed within the Kenneth C. Griffin Holodeck at MCAAD.
To achieve this, Moment Factory designed a multi-room, 360-degree environment that weaves together multiple stories through gameplay, live-action video, animation, original music, voiceovers, and soundscapes.
This project set a new industry standard by synchronising various elements and delivering ultra-high-resolution, real-time content within a permanent interactive space.
A two-stage journey of play and storytelling
The journey progresses in two stages.
In the first room, guests participate in a collaborative pre-show game across three interactive LED walls, where they are invited to repair the Perpetual Story Machine’s broken mechanisms to safeguard its treasured stories from being lost.
Once the problem is solved, the doors open to reveal the heart of the magical device: a 360° immersive core. Guests journey through three distinct stories, travelling across different eras and regions of America, encountering first-person accounts inspired by true events.
Each story immerses them in a unique environment with a distinct aesthetic.
Ed Purver, creative director at Moment Factory, says:
"We found the quest to tell linear narratives in a 360 environment to be a fascinating journey, and it led us to think beyond the language of the camera and imagine what it would be like if we could invite people to live stories as if seeing them through the minds eye of the narrator as they recall the past, with all the creative expression of memory."
Technology breakthrough
The installation boasts over 150 million pixels, a resolution so dense that it amounts to two-thirds of Sphere's resolution, yet it is contained within a space eighty times smaller.
To support this visual feat, Moment Factory required a robust and high-performance technical backbone. In collaboration with 4Wall Entertainment as the AV integrator, Disguise was quickly identified as the ideal solution to handle the scale and complexity of the real-time content.
Serving as the core system, Disguise manages the sequencing of tracks, controls variables, and executes all real-time content across the attraction, seamlessly integrating with Unreal Engine content.
The addition of Smart Monkeys and Stage Precision further enhanced the operational control and interactivity of the experience, enabling seamless synchronisation across all systems.
The Perpetual Story Machine illustrates how museums are evolving from simple, static displays to dynamic and engaging experiences. This project solidifies Moment Factory's reputation as a leader in transforming storytelling into interactive adventures that ignite wonder and spark curiosity.
Last month, Moment Factory launched the first US edition of the award-winning AURA series at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. With this new edition now open and an upcoming one in Quebec City this December, the studio continues to bring heritage sites to life as vibrant cultural destinations at night.
