There seems to be a growing influx of cinematic virtual reality (VR) content – which is no bad thing – whether its Baobab Studios’ Crow: The Legend or Spheres for example. The latest to arrive is Start VR’s immersive movie AWAKE: Episode One, arriving today solely for HTC Vive.
Having toured the international film circuit, receiving official selection at SXSW, Cannes NEXT, Melbourne International Film Festival, New York Film Festival and London’s Raindance Film Festival, HTC Vive owners can now see what all the fuss is about.
AWAKE: Episode One blends photorealistic real-time sets and effects with volumetric video performance, enabling viewers to have full room-scale freedom. In this first episode you’ll learn that protagonist Harry, is obsessed with discovering the truth behind the recurring dream of a strange pattern that contains a cryptic message.
With a run time of around 20 minutes, AWAKE: Episode One includes over 15 minutes of holographic performances captured at Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studio.
“With AWAKE I have tried to present a new kind of story that raises the bar in immersive entertainment, creatively, technically and at every turn. It’s the kind of thought-provoking immersive experience I have always wanted to have, but have not yet seen, so I’m incredibly excited to finally share it with audiences,” said Martin Taylor, Chief Creative Officer at Start VR is Creator & Director of AWAKE in a statement.
“As a small and ambitious content studio, we aimed extremely high with AWAKE. In particular, we wanted to showcase Volumetric Video like never before, in a complex cinematic narrative that destroys the myth that it’s not ready as a production technique. We want to champion the actor’s craft and give audiences the opportunity to come face to face with their heroes in ways that match their favorite epic moments from the big screen,” Taylor adds.
AWAKE: Episode One is available today for HTC Vive and HTC Vive Pro via Steam and Viveport. Windows Mixed Reality headsets will get support in early 2019, with Oculus Rift due shortly after. When Start VR release new information about the next episode, VRFocus will let you know.