Film puts PNG in virtual reality

By MALUM NALU
MISSIONARY couple Estella and Mark Trostle were the proudest parents on Monday night when the work of their son Micah was launched at Apec Haus by PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) chief executive officer Jerry Agus.
Micah has produced a short promotional film – Papua New Guinea in 360 – to promote PNG on the world tourism market.
The 20-year-old grew up with his Bible translator missionary parents at Ukarumpa in Eastern Highlands and is now at university in the USA.
Micah’s parents bought him a camera through which he honed his skills, and through self-teaching via Youtube, excelled in photography and videography.
He was commissioned by the TPA to produce the short film which provides 360 virtual reality (VR) images of the country.
Immediately after it was launched by Agus, the video went viral on the Internet, with over 100,000 viewers in less than 24 hours.
The event was witnessed by Miss South Pacific Leoshina Kariha, South Africa-based PNG reggae star Anslom Nakikus, members of the tourism fraternity, friends and supporters.
Micah said he had been working on the concept for “quite a while” to help PNG shrug off its negative perception in the world.
“It wasn’t just a four-week process,” he said.
“We pitched this idea to them (TPA) last year and they liked the idea, so here we are.
“We’re really excited and we’re hoping that this video gets millions of viewers online, that it will help change the negative image that the world has about Papua New Guinea.”
Agus described it as a “very important project” of the TPA.

“As you all know, our core mandate is to promote and market Papua New Guinea as a desired tourism destination overseas,” he said.
“When we go overseas, we try and tell everyone that there’s a country called Papua New Guinea, and all of you need to come and see and visit this great country of ours.
“But we can’t just go out there and talk to them, or show them brochures or try and install some big billboards and all those traditional ways of marketing and promoting a destination.
“As you all know, the way nowadays to promote and market a tourism destination, has changed big time.
“Every six months, people come up with new ideas, new creative ways of marketing and promoting a destination.
“For us at PNG TPA, we look for new, creative ways to market and promote Papua New Guinea.”
Agus said the VR 360 project was a new initiative for both TPA and the country.
Estella and Mark Trostle, as well as members of the PNG Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA) whom Micah grew up with, were beaming with pride at the achievement of the boy from Ukarumpa.
“We’re really proud parents,” Estella said.
“When you take your children from their home culture, and bring them up in another culture, you never know how they’re going to survive or thrive in an environment.
“We’re just thankful that Micah is thriving in an environment that he feels is his home.
“He loves PNG and is not regretful that his parents brought him to Papua New Guinea.”
Mark said he and his wife left the US many years ago to come and live and work in PNG.
“My wife and I first came in 1994, coming back and forth bringing university students to see the work of Bible translation,” he said.
“Then we started bringing our children – that was before Micah was born.
“They came when they were young, and so they had exposure, and we moved fulltime here in 2009.
“This is home, this is where Micah considers his home.
“When he’s in the US, he can’t wait to get back here.
“He’s just finding ways to come back here to be among his people.”
Mark said Micah started with producing videos for the PNGBTA and had since been doing more work, including in the USA, before picking up the TPA project.
“Everyone who saw it (PNGBTA video) were just amazed,” he said.
“It opened new doors for him.
“He and I went to Haiti last summer, he’s done stuff for Nasa. He just turned 20 last week and it’s amazing where God will take him.”
Micah Trostle has indeed put PNG on the world stage.