Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story and VR Film

Short Documentary

Partner: Heineken

Production Company: mssngpeces: Bianca Giaever & Ray Tintori
Narrated by stage and screen superstar Neil Patrick Harris, the 9-minute documentary, Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story tells the inspiring story of the people who are working to make + POOL, a water-filtering, floating swimming pool that provides access to NYC’s river for swimming, a reality. The film chronicles the history of New Yorkers interacting with their rivers, dating back to floating bathhouses in the early 1900s. Through interviews with + POOL’s founders and supporters such as Joshua David, co-founder of the High Line, the film explains how a floating, Olympic-sized pool called + POOL will filter out contaminants to create swimmable water and clean up to a half-million gallons of water each day. The documentary aims to generate grassroots excitement around the project and encourage viewers to visit SwimInTheRiver.com to sign a free pledge to swim in + POOL when the project is complete. If 100,000 pledges are signed, Heineken will contribute an additional $100,000 to the project’s development. The film was created as part of The Cities Project by Heineken, a multi-year campaign that helps bring to life projects that make great cities even greater.
Watch the Film

The 360° virtual reality film provides a first-ever, immersive experience simulating what it will be like to swim in + POOL when the project is complete. The piece transports viewers to the finished pool, allowing them to walk on the deck, swim in the pool and marvel at the New York City and Brooklyn skylines.
360 Experience