Switzerland is a country of pioneers – also in the field of photography and film. To take up the topic of the technological development of 360° film, SRF commissioned us to produce a 360° homage to Ernst A. Heiniger.

Circarama was the first system for 360° film to be projected onto a cylindrical screen in a circular space. As early as 1958, its inventor Walt Disney used the process at the World’s Fair in Brussels.

The Oscar winner and filmmaker Ernst Heiniger recognized the great potential and used the Circarama technology in 1964 for his 360° film «Rund um Rad und Schiene», which was shown at the Swiss National Exhibition Expo 64 in 1964.

In order to resurrect this film, we have digitally processed the former footage in 8K resolution and supplemented it with today’s scenes.

The result is a tribute to the pioneer Ernst A. Heiniger, who takes the viewer on a virtual, interactive journey through time to various locations in Switzerland.

The 360° film «Echorama» was broadcast in February 2019 together with a documentary about the life and work of Ernst A. Heiniger.