London, UK-based virtual reality (VR) studio Maze Theory has a couple of big-name projects in the works including Doctor Who: Edge of Time and Peaky Blinders VR. The latter is still in its early stages and so the team has announced a partnership with StoryFutures Academy, the National Centre for Immersive Storytelling jointly run by the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and Royal Holloway, University of London, to train writers in the art of writing for VR, with one being selected to help pen the upcoming Peaky Blinders VR experience.
Five participants have been chosen to take part in a two-day writers’ room this past week: Jenna Jovi; Melissa Iqbal; Berri George; Robin Taylor and Catherine Skinner; who all have at least two screen credits or a commissioned script to their name.
Adam Ganz, StoryFutures Academy’s Head of Writers Room led the endeavour, supported by Maze Theory and immersive theatre company, Punchdrunk. Participants learnt the principles of writing for VR as well as seeing Maze Theory’s proprietary AI technology that will make Peaky Blinders VR a unique experience, allowing the characters to respond to player gestures, movement, voice, sound and body language.
“We are delighted to be working with Maze Theory to help established writers discover the art of writing for VR,” said Ganz in a statement. “Maze Theory are an incredibly innovative company who are really pushing the boundaries of what is possible in immersive and it’s fantastic that they are offering one of our writers’ room participants the opportunity to work on their new Peaky Blinders VR experience. These kinds of collaborations that bring together established film and television industry professionals with VR specialists are vital for the growth of the immersive sector. We need to tell stories together.”
One of the participants will then be able to take the writers room a stage further and given the opportunity to work on the Peaky Blinders VR experience for up to 10 weeks over the coming months.
Peaky Blinders VR is scheduled for release in 2020. When further details are released VRFocus will let you know.