This year’s Raindance Film Festival embraced virtual reality (VR) like never before by introducing the first ‘Raindance VRX Awards’ with 10 categories. The festival ended at the start of October announcing all the award winners, with The Chainsmokers’ Paris.VR among the winners.
Created by specialist VR developer Kuju, along with brand experience agency Ralph Creative, as part of Sony’s ‘Lost In Music’ campaign, Paris.VR let viewers experience a live-remixed version of Paris, entering the mind of Drew Taggart. They fly through an ethereal landscape, being able to make decisions along the route applying major changes to the mix, whilst looking at various objects make more subtle changes to what is being heard.
“Working with Ralph Creative on this project, we knew that we had something special with Paris.VR,” said Kuju’s Head of Studios Brynley Gibson in a statement. “We’re delighted that our work with The Chainsmokers has been recognised with this prestigious Raindance award.”
Originally unveiled earlier this year at SXSW in Austin, Paris.VR is available exclusively for PlayStation VR in the PlayStation Store.
As for all the other Raindance VRX Award winners, they are:
- Best Cinematic Narrative VR Experience – Alteration (by Jérôme Blanquet and OKIO-Studio)
- Best Documentary VR Experience – First Impressions (by Francesca Panetta, Nicole Jackson and the Guardian VR)
- Best Interactive Narrative VR Experience – Manifest 99 (by Flight School Studio)
- Best Mobile Interactive VR Experience – Virtual Virtual Reality (by Tender Claws)
- Best Animation VR Experience – Dear Angelica (by Wesley Allsbrook and Saschka Unseld)
- Best Music VR Experience – Beethoven’s Fifth (by Jessica Brillhart)
- Best Sensual VR Experience – Through You (by Lily Baldwin and Saschka Unseld)
- Best Social Impact VR Experience – Munduruku: The Fight to Defend the Heart of the Amazon (by Greenpeace)
- Best Sound Design VR Experience – Reeps One: Does Not Exist (by Aurelia Soundworks and Reeps One)
- Special Prize Winner: Best Storytelling in #VR – Arden’s Wake (by Eugene Chung and Penrose Studios)
The Raindance Film Festival will be back in 2018, from 19th – 30th September. As details are release VRFocus will keep you updated.