Category: Is Anna Okay?

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Highlights from Raindance Immersive Stories and Interactive Worlds 2018

London’s famous Oxo Tower, with its spectacular view of the city skyline, provided an impressive backdrop for the 2018 Raindance Gallery of Immersive Stories and Interactive Worlds. But I wasn’t there to watch the sunset over the river, I was at the Raindance VR launch party to leave the real world behind and be immersed in bold and evocative stories. These are some of my highlights from this year’s Raindance selection, curated by Mária Rakušanov.

The Apple - Header

The Apple

I was absolutely blown away by The Apple, which made its World Premiere at Raindance. The multi-user experience takes people on a poetic journey through the different stages of life with animation inspired by the colours of Buddhist mandalas and music so enchanting that, when I took off my headset, I felt blissfully relaxed. Chinese director Bin Gu, of Yue Cheng
Media, said he used the principles of Chan Buddhism to convey the message that “honesty and love is a door to open everything”.

At Raindance, The Apple was set up as a 40sqm room-scale experience, using HTC Vive Pros and backpacks, which allowed two people to freely explore the magical world. With more space, up to four people can experience The Apple together. Raindance VR curator, Mária Rakušanov says this year’s festival included more multi-user experiences than ever before. “Creators are becoming much more ambitious, and that means we have to grow with them” she said.

Chorus - HeaderChorus

I had high hopes for Chorus, created by Tyler Hurd in association with Chris Milk’s studio WITHIN, and the psychedelic sci-fi spectacular did not disappoint. The real world quickly melted away as I was transformed into a fantastical female warrior and set off on an epic journey to battle weird and treacherous monsters. The soundtrack by French dance duo Justice really got my blood pumping and, perhaps because I was aided by a glass of prosecco, I was soon waving my arms through the air to shoot glittering laser beams at giant space creatures.

Chorus is easy to love because it’s a really fun experience, but beyond that it’s also a story about female empowerment and in this current political climate that really resonated with me. Up to six people can experience Chorus together, as Hurd follows the trend towards social VR experiences, although at Raindance it was unfortunately presented as a single user experience.

Is Anna Ok?

I’ve spent the past decade working as a journalist so I am always interested to see how news organization are utilizing VR. Is Anna Ok?  from BBC Stories is an incredibly moving two-person experience, telling the true story of twin sisters Anna and Lauren whose lives are changed following a serious car accident. The experience is split into two parts so users take on the role of either Anna or Lauren and hear their side of the story. Anna’s story revolves around her recovery from a traumatic brain injury, while Lauren’s focuses on being plunged into the role of caregiver for her sister.

The experience is told in the twins’ own words, based on months of interviews conducted by BBC reporter Camila Ruz. Users are able to interact with objects in the VR world, which transport them through the twins’ memories. I have twin sisters so found it particularly fascinating to view the world through the eyes of Anna and Lauren. But even without such a personal connection Is Anna Ok? does a great job of showing how there are two sides to every story. It’s also an excellent example of how interactive VR has a place in non-fiction storytelling.

Grenfell: Our Home

Grenfell: Our Home, by independent production company Parable, for Channel 4, is VR documentary storytelling at its absolute best. The film goes behind the news headlines and offers a a really unique and intimate perspective on what the Grenfell community was like before tragedy struck.

The way it combining 360 stereoscopic testimonies from survivors with animated sequences evoking life in Grenfell before the fire is bold, innovative and highly evocative. I consider myself to be a pretty thick-skinned hack, but Grenfell: Our Home had me tearing up in my Oculus Go. As seen in my previous top picks, I am drawn towards social and interactive experiences because I think this is where the most exciting potential for VR storytelling lies, but Grenfell: Our Home has set a new benchmark for 360 films and is a reminder that there are still boundaries to be pushed in this medium.

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Explore the Ocean’s Ecosystems as BBC Earth: Live in VR Emerges for Lenovo Mirage Solo

The Lenovo Mirage Solo standalone headset has now arrived offering Google’s WorldSense motion tracking and access to the Daydream platforms range of virtual reality (VR) titles. For early adopters of the device the BBC has launched BBC Earth: Live in VR which makes use of the headsets extra functionality.

LifeinVR

Created by BAFTA award-winning videogame studio Preloaded in collaboration with BBC Studio’s VR team, BBC Earth: Life in VR represents the first generation of titles using WorldSense, allowing the user to enter a real-time world and witness first-hand the creature behaviours and relationships that sustain the ocean’s rich and diverse ecosystems.

Taking viewers to the Californian Pacific Coast the app starts by following a mother sea otter as she forages in the coastal waters before heading into rich kelp forests. BBC Earth: Life in VR then heads even deeper plunging into the depths of an oceanic trench to encounter a range of animals from microscopic plankton to giant squid and a gargantuan sperm whale.

“It’s extremely exciting that BBC Earth content has been chosen to launch the Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream headset,” said Bradley Crooks, Head of Digital Entertainment & Games, BBC Studios in a statement. “Working with Google to bring BBC nature content to VR allows us to provide our audiences with a fresh, exhilarating level of immersion and is an evolutionary step in natural history storytelling.”

LifeinVR

This is actually the second instance of BBC Earth: Life in VR on the Daydream platform as it first launched for Google Daydream View back in February.

VRFocus caught up with some of the team from BBC Studios, BBC Earth and Preloaded to learn more about the app, how it came about and what they wanted to achieve in the video below. BBC Studios Head of Interactive Tim Burton also revealed work on a new project called Is Anna Okay? which is due to premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest this summer. For further updates on the BBC’s VR projects, keep reading VRFocus.