The VR Job Hub: CityLights, Pixel Toys & Schell Games

VR Job Hub

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.

LocationCompanyRoleLink
Los Angeles, CACityLights VRDistribution CoordinatorClick Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CACityLights VRMarketing CoordinatorClick Here to Apply
RemotePixel ToysSystems DesignerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UKPixel ToysSenior UI ArtistClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UKPixel ToysTools ProgrammerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysTechnical AnimatorClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysSenior Gameplay ProgrammerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysLead Character ArtistClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UKPixel ToysQA LeadClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysFull Stack EngineerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysProject DirectorClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysLead Level DesignerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysC# Backend ProgrammerClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysAnimatorsClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysSenior UI ArtistClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysVFX Game ArtistClick Here to Apply
Leamington Spa, UK/RemotePixel ToysTechnical ArtistClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesSenior 3D Environment ArtistClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesSenior Audio DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesTechnical Artist – RiggerClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesVFX ArtistClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesDesign LeadClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesSenior Engineering Team LeadClick Here to Apply
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaSchell GamesAssociate ProducerClick Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hub to check as well.

If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.

Virtual Arena: London Calling LBE – Into The Tomb! (Part 3.)

In the latest coverage of the immersive Out-of-Home entertainment scene for VRFocus, in his latest Virtual Arena column, Kevin Williams reports on an explosion of brand new LBE XR entertainment properties making the capital their home. In this third and final part of this series of reports, we look at the ‘TUTANKHAMUN: Enter The Tomb’ VR experience – and at the first ticketed Positron installation.

Not all applications of VR in LBE are associated with videogame playing – the technology is also making strides in new levels of storytelling, and narrative-driven experiences. One such example that also opened in London draws on the development of an immersive experience in the museum and heritage sphere of commercial entertainment. 

Part of the popular ‘TUTANKHAMUN: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh’ exhibition taking place at the Saatchi Gallery in the capital, the organizers and supporters of the impressive collection of artefacts from the illustrious historical excavation have augmented with an independently produced experience called ‘TUTANKHAMUN: Enter The Tomb‘ – an immersive VR theater exhibition combined with the main ticket, owned and produced by immersive entertainment company, CityLights, (directed by Joel Newton, founder of the company).

Tutankhamun: Enter the Tomb
The long lines to experience the Tutankhamun traveling exhibition: Source: KWP

This VR theatre sees the deployment of some 18 of the latest Positron ‘Voyager’ cinematic VR chairs. These unique platforms described as a new kind of movie storytelling, the VR motion seat system having been deployed mainly in promotional marketing and a number of VR movie experiences – most recently deployed as part of the ‘How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World’ promotional movie VR experience, in partnership with Dreamworks and Walmart

Positron’s first ticketed immersive VR theatre, the systems deployed comprise a 6-DoF motion platform, with haptic feedback built into the pod seat. The audience using the Samsung Odyssey+, Windows MR headset to view the experience. All this to recreate ‘Enter The Tomb’, an immersive experience through the historic tomb, recreated by the producers at CityLights. 

The guest traverses through the various chambers of the tombs immersed in the wonders and treasures – the cinematic VR adding to the storytelling of the experience – which lasts some 8-minutes. The narrative of the excavation and exploration of the tombs and their vast treasures is told by Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville, giving a good representation of the historic site, employing the best of VR storytelling. 

Positron - Voyager
The line-up of Positron ‘Voyager’ systems in operation. Source: KWP

Positron sees their VR system much more than an equivalent to the conventional 4DX cinema seating or the once-popular 9D Chinese egg shape VR ride seats. Offering a nuanced motion system with haptic effects, this has been a tool for virtual storytelling, a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer. Producers CityLights working with Positron to create a library of “Edutainment” experiences.

The experience has been so popular that IMG has added more sessions to meet demand. The travelling exhibition has already seen over a million tickets sold when in Paris. Producers at CityLights plan to create a library of Edutainment experiences.

The influence of VR storytelling narrative in commercial entertainment was seen at the momentous VR Awards 2019, held in the heart of the capital during November. An event that saw ‘War Remains’, by MWM Immersive & Flight School Studio – winning Out-of-Home VR Entertainment of the Year. This VR experience transports the audience to the trenches and battlefield of World War I. The separation of ‘interactive’ VR experiences and ‘passive’ VR storytelling presentations – sees more galleries, museums and educational centres, looking at immersive presentations to achieve a new level of audience engagement.

VR Awards 2019 - KWP
VR Award 2019 winners on stage at the star-studded event. Source: KWP

That concludes our latest three-part coverage, but the next major developments from the Out-of-Home Entertainment VR arena will be coming in the next few days.

The Wonder of the Universe Continues to Amaze in Spheres

Humanity has always had a wonderful fascination with the stars and the universe around us, enamoured with the sheer vastness and danger that lays in wait as we learn and take ever deeper steps into the darkness of space. The subject makes for perfect virtual reality (VR) material, with some of my favourite content taking place in space, whether it’s educational like Overview or purely fictional and entertainment-based such as Downward Spiral: Horus Station. The latest to catch my eye was a VR experience – not a videogame – called Spheres.

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime screenshotSpheres isn’t one but three VR shorts all written and directed by Eliza McNitt, with each one featuring a different narrator. The first chapter, Chorus of the Cosmos, has the vocal talents of Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), the second chapter, Songs of Spacetime is narrated by Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar) and the third, Pale Blue Dot, features American singer-songwriter Patti Smith.

It was thanks to Sphere’s debut during the Sundance Film Festival that helped to propel it into the spotlight, with CityLights purchasing the VR experience for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, breaking festival records. This was what drew my fascination for Spheres, could a VR short about the cosmos really be worth all that cash, because someone obviously thought so, and to that end is it worth spending $10 on.

I love that fact that VR content isn’t just about videogames. Titles like Allumette are just as enjoyable to sit back and watch as those with interactive elements such as Manifest 99. Spheres certainly falls into the latter category, giving just short moments where you can touch planets or alter sound waves. While these moments help you understand and further connect you to the content, it’s the visual and audible elements that truly amaze and inspire.

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime screenshotYou don’t have to be a fan of astronomy to appreciate what McNitt and PROTOZOA Pictures have created, as all three pieces employ a viewpoint that unique and barely addressed in other titles, and that’s sound. This gives Spheres a mesmerising soundtrack that doesn’t solely rely on orchestras and traditional musical scores. It’s about the harmonics of life, from the beginning of the Big Bang to the way elements react together to form waves indiscernible by our own senses.

But Spheres is every bit as much a visual feast as it is an audible treat. The designs or the planets, solar system, galaxies, and black holes are a joy to behold. A personal favourite – and likely for many viewers – comes during Songs of Spacetime as part of the black hole sequence. I won’t spoil it too much but it was certainly worth a second watch straight after the first.

While the content isn’t overly long, for the production values and talent on offer I don’t see the price as being unreasonable. If you’re all about VR action then I’d probably give it a miss. Spheres is one of those titles that may entice the casual consumer but I can see it getting a far better reception as an interactive piece in a museum for example. If CityLights could get Spheres into places like the UK’s National Space Centre – which has plenty of school-friendly educational exhibits – then it’ll go down a storm.

VR Series Spheres Takes Oculus Rift Viewers on a Cosmic Journey

During the Sundance Film Festival in January, virtual reality (VR) series Spheres broke festival records when it was purchased for an undisclosed seven-figure deal by CityLights. Now Oculus Rift users can see what all the fuss was about, with Spheres now available for purchase through Oculus Store.

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime screenshot

Directed and written by Eliza McNitt, executive produced by PROTOZOA PICTURES’ Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel and produced by Jess Engel, Arnaud Colinart, and Dylan Golden, Spheres is inspired by the idea that space is not silent—in fact, it’s actually full of sound,” McNitt states.

The three-part series world premiered at the Venice Film Festival with the debut of the first chapter, Chorus of the Cosmos, narrated by Millie Bobby Brown. The second chapter, Songs of Spacetime, world premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, takes viewers into the heart of a black hole and was narrated by Jessica Chastain. The third chapter, Pale Blue Dot, journey’s from the edge of the cosmos, premiering at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was narrated by Patti Smith.

“It’s been a dream to collaborate with this team to bring Spheres to life,” said writer and director Eliza McNitt. “This experience makes the invisible Universe visible as you become the cosmos. I’m thrilled to release Spheres on the Oculus Rift and transport you to worlds beyond our own.”

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime screenshot

“We at CityLights are excited to share SPHERES on the Oculus Rift platform after the amazing feedback it’s received since it first premiered at Sundance,” said Joel Newton with CityLights. “It’s just the beginning and we’re now looking forward to what’s to come in NYC this coming January at its first residency.”

The complete series of Spheres can be purchased through Oculus Store for $9.99 USD. For further updates on the project, keep reading VRFocus.

VR Series SPHERES Secures 7-Figure Deal at Sundance

Kaleidoscope has announced that a funding deal, secured via the platform, sees virtual reality (VR) series SPHERES become a record-breaking Sundance Film Festival reveal. The seven-figure deal, which neither distribution company CityLights nor Jess Engel, producer of SPHERES, are revealing the exact amount of, has set a new standard not just for VR, but for all film projects at the festival.

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime

SPHERES is a three-part series in which users can explore space, and is set to debut on Oculus Rift later this year. Starring Jessica Chastain, SPHERES has been executive produced by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, and René Pinnell, produced by Jess Engel, Arnaud Colinart, and Dylan Golden, and co-produced by Jill Klekas Basmajian. The first episode, Songs of Spacetime, premiered last weekend as part of Sundance’s New Frontier programming.

“A little more than three years ago we started Kaleidoscope in order to help artists secure funding for original VR experiences,” states an official communication from Kaleidoscope. “At the time only a handful of brave souls like Arnaud Colinart, Aaron Bradbury, and Arjan van Meerten were venturing into this new medium. But their work showed us the potential of virtual reality and made us believe in the power of immersive art and entertainment.

“Virtual reality is still in its infancy, and while this deal marks an important milestone for our burgeoning industry, there is much work yet to be done. We need an order-of-magnitude increase in funding for innovative projects like SPHERES. And, over the next few years, this is the future we want to help create.”

“This is a historic moment for the VR industry; it signifies that a viable storytelling medium has emerged,” stated Engel to WIRED. “Deals like this establish VR as its own marketplace for independent creators, producers, and investors.”

SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime screenshot

As stated above, SPHERES is expected to debut on Oculus Rift later this year. After that, CityLights has plans to expand to other platforms. No details on what these platforms – nor the price that SPHERES will be offered to consumers at – are currently available. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on SPHERES and other VR projects acquired by CityLights.