Oculus has supported a great many indie developers, helping them technically and financially to create virtual reality (VR) content. On 31st October, Oculus along with Kaleidoscope will be launching a new initiative to support VR creators called DevLab.
DevLab will bring together 28 VR artists from across the globe to incubate new work, explore new ideas, and create the next wave of experiences.
Those selected for the month-long programme include those who’ve already created VR projects such as, Arnaud Colinart, who created Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness and Ben Vance who made Irrational Exuberance. There will also be first-time VR creators like Josephine Decker, and Julio Medem, both of whom established careers in cinema.
“VR is a convergence of creative disciplines and DevLab will bring experts from a variety of fields to help expand the creative potential of VR,” said Yelena Rachitsky, Creative Producer at Oculus. “Big creative risks will push virtual reality forward, but to empower people to take those risks, we recognize that we need to provide support and encouragement to help an idea become a reality.”
Participants will work with advisors who have backgrounds in architecture, immersive theatre, sound, and storytelling, with the projects created through hands-on workshops, live performances, and round table discussions.
The DevLab will run until 2nd, December 2016, with a showcase event at Facebook headquarters. Participants will present their projects with the aim of securing funding, putting their idea into production the following year to then launch via the Oculus platform.
“Our goal with DevLab is to support independent artists because they tend to break free from traditional ideas of storytelling and discover new ways to express the human condition with virtual reality,” said René Pinnell, CEO of Kaleidoscope.
VRFocus will bring you further details on the DevLab as announcements are made.