費城這座閃耀著熠熠光輝的新康卡斯特技術(shù)中心（Comcast Technology Center）的大廳，可以滿足你對于造價15億美元的美國頂級摩天大樓的一切期待。入口旁栽著兩片小樹林，往里走則是令人驚嘆的藝術(shù)作品：出自于英國藝術(shù)家康拉德·肖克羅斯之手、高達18英尺的鏡面鋼鐵雕塑，以及由概念派藝術(shù)家珍妮·霍爾澤設(shè)計、漂浮在高高天花板上的數(shù)字藝術(shù)裝置。在空中大廳的自動扶梯上面還有一家榮獲詹姆士比爾德獎的大廚開設(shè)的餐廳，那里提供外帶的手沖咖啡和在店內(nèi)享用的經(jīng)典法師雞肉卷。

不過這里可能還有些東西超出了你的期待：一個散發(fā)著冷光的三層白色球體，里面有全球最具影響力的制片人之一推出的最新項目。

這一景觀名為“環(huán)球天地”（Universal Sphere），由斯蒂芬·斯皮爾伯格執(zhí)行監(jiān)制，前幾周剛剛對外開放。打造它花費了數(shù)年時間。成立于1963年、總部位于費城的電信巨頭康卡斯特（Comcast）希望借此提高市內(nèi)的影響力。

康卡斯特的首席執(zhí)行官布萊恩·羅伯茨表示：“我們公司誕生后的前50年，主題是財務(wù)和企業(yè)家精神。如果我們要在未來50年里繼續(xù)繁榮發(fā)展，主題將會是創(chuàng)新、媒體和技術(shù)。”

基于這一思想，這家媒體巨頭聘用了倫敦的Foster + Partners工作室來設(shè)計新的康卡斯特技術(shù)中心。工作室由著名建筑師諾曼·福斯特領(lǐng)銜。在規(guī)劃廣闊的大廳時，他們提出的設(shè)計思路包括開設(shè)一家康卡斯特門店，或是給Vernick Coffee Bar設(shè)置更多座位。不過在建設(shè)場館的過程中，對這塊區(qū)域的計劃始終懸而未決。倫敦公司Immersive的一位參與項目的建筑師分享了他的新點子：利用球體作為虛擬現(xiàn)實的場景，在拋開頭盔或眼鏡的情況下，以創(chuàng)見性的全新模式講述故事。羅伯茨立刻看到了實現(xiàn)的可能性，并開始請教擁有制片經(jīng)驗的專家如何落實。他回憶道：“我問斯蒂芬，誰能負責(zé)這個球體，幫助我們拍部電影。當(dāng)他提出自己可以與我們合作時，我們震驚了。與斯蒂芬·斯皮爾伯格合作來探索新的制片形式，這是多么令人驚嘆的優(yōu)待?！?/p>

In the lobby of Philadelphia’s glossy new Comcast Technology Center, you will find all the elements you might expect in a $1.5 billion, state-of-the-art skyscraper. Two groves of trees have been planted just inside the entrance, giving way to striking works of art: an 18-foot mirrored-steel sculpture by British artist Conrad Shawcross and, floating across the soaring ceiling, a digital art installation by conceptual artist Jenny Holzer. Up the escalator in the sky lobby, there’s a restaurant by a James Beard Award–winning chef, serving pour-over coffee to go and classic chicken ballotine to stay.

But there’s something else here you probably wouldn’t expect: a three-story, luminescent white orb, which is home to the latest project by one of the world’s most influential filmmakers.

The attraction, named the Universal Sphere, is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and opened just weeks ago, though it’s been years in the making. Telecommunications giant Comcast, which launched in 1963 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, set out to expand its footprint in the city.

“The first 50 years for our company were about finance and entrepreneurship,” says Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. “If we’re going to thrive for the next 50 years, it’s going to be about innovation, media, and technology.”

With that in mind, the media conglomerate hired Foster + Partners in London, helmed by famed architect Norman Foster, to design the new Comcast Technology Center. When it came time to map out the expansive lobby, concepts ranged from a Comcast store to more seating for restaurant Vernick Coffee Bar. But during construction there was still no definitive plan for the space. An architect assigned to the project shared a new idea he had come across from London-based company Immersive: a visionary new mode of storytelling, using a sphere as a form of virtual reality without the headset or glasses. Roberts immediately saw the possibilities, and he reached out to someone with filmmaking experience for advice on how to proceed. “I asked Steven, ‘Who’s someone who could take this new sphere and help us make a film?’” recalls Roberts. “When he offered to partner with us himself, we were blown away. What an amazing privilege to work with Steven Spielberg to explore a new form of moviemaking.”

要親身體驗Universal Sphere，你必須在網(wǎng)上預(yù)約優(yōu)待券。這個高達34英尺的球體就坐落在康卡斯特員工前往上層辦公室的十字轉(zhuǎn)門旁邊。到了開放時間，球體上的液壓門會浮現(xiàn)出來并流暢滑開，就像《星際迷航》（Star Trek）中的情節(jié)走進了現(xiàn)實。球體內(nèi)有幾排會隨著電影情節(jié)而移動的座椅，周圍是360度的穹頂影院。按照設(shè)計，觀眾不可能一次性將其中上映的電影《我的力量》（The Power of I）完全收入眼簾。你需要多次觀看，才能夠體驗到可能錯失的觀影元素。

打造這個最終產(chǎn)品花了兩年時間。為了啟動這個頭腦風(fēng)暴項目，康卡斯特邀請了斯皮爾伯格加盟，還租用了富蘭克林研究員科學(xué)博物館（The Franklin Institute Science Museum）中的菲爾斯天文館（Fels Planetarium）。這是費城（或許是世界上）最接近Universal Sphere成品的地方。在最早的規(guī)劃研討會上，斯皮爾伯格誕生了靈感，決定拍攝一部影片講述這些設(shè)想的緣起和力量。

想在7分鐘的電影里撥動觀眾的心弦充滿了挑戰(zhàn)。不過由贏得奧斯卡獎的電影作曲家邁克爾和杰夫·丹娜聯(lián)袂夢工廠動畫公司（DreamWorks Animation）、環(huán)球影城度假村公司（Universal Parks & Resorts）和康卡斯特實驗室（Comcast Labs）充滿創(chuàng)造力的專家所組成的團隊足以勝任。最后誕生的這部電影既意味深遠又樂趣十足。它也成為了充滿歷史底蘊的費城里的一道開創(chuàng)性的炫目新景。

羅伯茨表示：“我們希望這部電影的敘事既具視覺震撼，又能發(fā)人深思；既真情實感，又目的明確，最終營造出一種驚喜的體驗，它與康卡斯特NBC環(huán)球（Comcast NBC Universal）的商業(yè)片在任何方式、形態(tài)和形式上都有所不同。它是對一切皆有可能的共鳴?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)）

譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

To experience the Universal Sphere firsthand, you must reserve a complimentary ticket online. The 34-foot orb sits just feet from the turnstiles streaming with Comcast employees headed to their offices above. When it’s time to enter, hydraulic doors seamlessly emerge and slide open, like an episode of Star Trek come to life. Inside there are a few rows of seats that move along with the film, surrounded by a 360-degree dome theater. By design, it’s impossible to take in the whole film, called The Power of I, at once. But come back to experience in each subsequent viewing elements you might have missed.

The final product took about two years to create. Comcast brought Spielberg in and rented out the Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute Science Museum—the closest thing in Philadelphia (or maybe anywhere) to what the Sphere would become—to kick-start the brainstorming process. It was during the first one of these planning sessions that Spielberg got the idea to make a film about the origin and power of ideas.

Striking the right tone in a seven-minute film can be challenging, but the team—which also included Academy Award–winning film composers Mychael and Jeff Danna, as well as creative professionals at DreamWorks Animation, Universal Parks & Resorts, and Comcast Labs—was up to the task. The end result feels both profound and playful. And in a city well known for its rich history, it’s also a groundbreaking and visually stunning new attraction for Philadelphia.

“We wanted to find a narrative that was everything from visually stunning to truly thought-provoking, that had real emotion and purpose, and ultimately, was just an unexpected experience that’s not a commercial for Comcast NBCUniversal in any way, shape, or form,” Roberts says. “It’s a celebration of all that can be.”