Category: Chained: A Victorian Nightmare

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Experience A Scary VR Retelling Of A Christmas Carol In ‘Chained: A Victorian Nightmare’

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare will let you experience a scary retelling of Charles Dickens’ iconic tale, A Christmas Carol, in VR.

Developed by MWM Interactive, Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is available on Steam now.

The experience is described as a “haunting VR adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol that puts you at the center of the story. It’s time to disbelieve your senses. Sit back and prepare to confront your past, present and future, in this bone-chilling journey of self-discovery.”

The trailer, set to a haunting rendition of ‘Silent Night’, looks absolutely terrifying. It is clear that this retelling of a Christmas classic is definitely not for the faint of heart. Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is a seated experience and described on the Steam store page as “immersive VR theatre”, so maybe don’t expect too much in terms of interactivity or traditional game elements either.

The Steam page lists the Valve Index, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift as supported platforms. The project is price only around $5 too, so maybe it is worth a shot if you’re a fan of Dickens’ tale or immersive horror VR experiences. The project might also work as a way to spook some family members while demoing VR over the holidays.

Will you or your family be trying out Chained: A Victorian Nightmare this holiday season? Or have you got some other spooky VR experiences to try out with the family before Christmas? Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried it out.

The post Experience A Scary VR Retelling Of A Christmas Carol In ‘Chained: A Victorian Nightmare’ appeared first on UploadVR.

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MWM Immersive Brings Live VR Theatre Experience Chained: A Victorian Nightmare to New York

Just before Christmas last year VRFocus reported on MWM Immersive (VR and AR division of Madison Wells Media) creating a spine-tingling version of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol as a live theatrical virtual reality (VR) experience called Chained: A Victorian Nightmare in Los Angeles. Today, the studio has announced a partnership with real-time body animation specialist IKINEMA, alongside bringing the piece to New York City.

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is the work of Justin Denton in collaboration with Aaron Sims Creative, and Here Be Dragons, using IKINEMA’s LiveAction technology to bring the story’s ghostly characters to life.

A solitary single-guest experience presented inside a fully detailed Victorian-era set, only one audience member can enter at a time. After donning a VR headset they’ll interact the entire time with live actors who are motion captured by IKINEMA then animated alongside other tactile objects, confronting their own past, present, and future through a harrowing journey.

“The ghosts of A Christmas Carol have become iconic characters, and they’re at the heart of our adaptation,” said Ethan Stearns, Executive Producer, MWM Immersive in a statement. ” IKINEMA LiveAction was instrumental in making each one feel like a living, breathing character who is standing right beside you. At MWM Immersive, we want to provide our creators the tools they need to tell their story in the best way possible, and that often means pushing the boundaries and capabilities of the technology at our fingertips. IKINEMA helped us accomplish that on Chained.”

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare

“Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is testament to the close collaboration of creative and technical teams who harness our powerful LiveAction solution to bring life and realism for interactive virtual characters—qualities IKINEMA is in demand for,” Alexandre Pechev, CEO, IKINEMA adds. “We’re thrilled MWM Immersive have delivered what is next-generation VR storytelling using our technology.”

If you happen to be in New York over the next month then head down to the New York City Story Arcade Pop-Up, by organisers Future of Storytelling. Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is only available until 24th March, so book your tickets here. For further theatrical VR updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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The Virtual Melds With the Real in Chained: A Victorian Nightmare

Creative companies are exploring new innovative ways of combining virtual reality (VR) with real-world effects, such as  Jeff Wayne’s The Musical Version of ‘The War of The Worlds’: The Immersive Experience which is set to open in London, UK next year. If you happen to live in Los Angeles however, then you may want to head down to MWM Immersive’s (Gnomes & Goblins) new experience, Chained: A Victorian Nightmare, which opens today.

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare gallery

Using both VR and real-world elements, Chained: A Victorian Nightmare a spine-tingling version of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, where guests find themselves at the centre of the story.

Presented inside a fully detailed Victorian-era set, the single-guest experience has one audience member at a time enter and fitted with a VR headset by a professional actor. They’ll interact the entire time with live actors (utilizing motion capture) and other tactile objects, confronting their own past, present, and future through a harrowing journey.

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare is the brainchild of Justin Denton creator of the immersive Legion experience at San Diego Comic Con 2017. To help bring the project to life it was executive produced by MWM Immersive’s Ethan Stearns, producer of the Academy Award-winning VR project, Carne y Arena, and co-produced by Here Be Dragons.

“By combining the best of VR and immersive theater, Chained surpasses the limitations of each medium and lets the audience see, converse with, and even touch the impossible,” said Denton in a statement. “I grew up with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol but in my mind’s eye I always imagined the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as much darker and more intense than most adaptations. Audiences will walk away from Chained as though they have just awoken from a dark and beautiful fever dream full of self-discovery, fascination, fear, and wonder.”

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare

“Chained embodies the creative drive and spirit of everyone at MWM Immersive,” MWM Immersive’s Executive Producer Ethan Stearns said. “It’s an experience that uses technology in the service of telling and experiencing a compelling story, not as a gimmick. At MWM Immersive we empower directors and writers to use whatever mediums are necessary to create the narrative experience they want to create and leave audiences delighted and awed.”

The experience is being held at experiential studio GreatCo (1655 Beverly Blvd), beginning today and running through to 6th January 2019. Tickets and further information can be found on the official Eventbrite page. For further events utilising VR, keep reading VRFocus.

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Chained: A Victorian Nightmare: Charles Dickens meets VR-Live-Theater

In Los Angeles startet die interessante VR-Vorstellung Chained: A Victorian Nightmare, welche als Neuinterpretation von Charles Dickens’ Weihnachtsgeschichte das klassische Theater mit neuester VR-Technologie vereint. Dabei tauchen die Besucher in die immersiven Gefilde ein und treffen währenddessen auf echte Schauspieler, um mit diesen zu interagieren.

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare – Neuauflage von Charles Dickens’ Weihnachtsgeschichte als immersives Theater

In der Erzählung A Christmas Carol von Charles Dickens aus dem Jahr 1843 wird der alte, grantige Geldverleiher Ebenezer Scrooge in einer Nacht von seinem verstorbenen Teilhaber und einzigen Freund Jacob Marley und daraufhin von drei weiteren Geistern besucht, die ihm dabei helfen, eine neue Sicht auf die Welt zu bekommen. Dabei führt ihn der Geister der vergangenen Weihnacht durch seine eigene Lebensgeschichte, während der Geist der jetzigen Weihnacht und der zukünftigen Weihnacht ihm nach und nach die derzeitigen und zukünftigen Umstände seines Handelns aufzeigen. Letztlich durchläuft der alte Geizhals, durch die aufzeigten Missstände, eine komplette Persönlichkeitsveränderung und kann das Weihnachtsfest glücklich mit seinen Geliebten verbringen.

Chained-a-victorian-nightmare-charles-dickens

Der Weihnachtsklassiker wird nun in Los Angeles völlig neu interpretiert, indem die Geschichte dank einer Kombination aus VR-Technologie und Theater nacherzählt wird. Das sogenannte immersive Theater lässt die Zuschauer dank VR-Brille in die virtuellen Gefilde eintauchen und in die Rolle des alten Griesgrams schlüpfen. So dürfen sie in die knapp 12-minütige VR-Erfahrung eintauchen und die Story innerhalb eines viktorianischen Londons genießen. Doch damit nicht genug, denn das Besondere ist der Einsatz von echten Schauspielern, die mit Motion-Capture-Anzügen ebenfalls in die VR eintauchen, die Rolle der Geister übernehmen und an bestimmten Stellen mit dem Gast in und außerhalb der VR interagieren.

Regisseur Justin Denton (bekannt für Legion VR) ist verantwortlich für das Werk und verpasste der Geschichte einen deutlich düsteren Touch, wie er beschreibt:

“Ich bin mit Charles Dickens’ Weihnachtsgeschichte aufgewachsen, aber vor meinem geistigen Auge habe ich mir die Geister der vergangenen, gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Weihnacht so viel düsterer und intensiver vorgestellt, als die meisten anderen Interpretationen diese darstellen. Die Zuschauer sollen sich nach Chained fühlen, als wären sie aus einem dunklen, aber wunderschönen Fiebertraum voller Selbstfindung, Faszination, Angst und Wunder erwacht.”

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare wird bis zum 6. Januar 2019 in den GreatCo Studio in Los Angeles aufgeführt.

(Quellen: Upload VR | Become Chained)

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Chained: A Victorian Nightmare Is VR’s Take On A Christmas Carol

Chained: A Victorian Nightmare Is VR’s Take On A Christmas Carol

VR’s about to get festive, but not in the way you might expect.

MWM Immersive today announced Chained: A Victorian Nightmare, a new location-based VR experience based on Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol. The piece is set to run at the GreatCo studio in LA from tomorrow until January 6th.

Chained won’t just be a standard VR experience though; it’ll also include elements of live theater. A single guest at a time is fitted with a VR headset in which they’ll go on a journey spanning their past, present and future. Actors using motion capture suits will appear inside VR, allowing the audience to interact with them in real-time. Outside of VR, though, there’s a fully Victorian-era set to explore.

The piece is directed by Justin Denton, best known for his work on the Legion VR experience shown at last year’s San Diego Comic Con. “I grew up with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol but in my mind’s eye I always imagined the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as much darker and more intense than most adaptations,” Denton said in a prepared statement. “Audiences will walk away from Chained as though they have just awoken from a dark and beautiful fever dream full of self discovery, fascination, fear, and wonder.”

Experiential VR studio Here Be Dragons also worked on the piece and Bruce Straley, Game Director on Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, consulted on the story.

You can grab tickets to Chained from this Eventbrite page. They start at around $44.

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