jaunt vr – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

October 6, 2017

Jaunt VR Experience Collisions Wins Emmy Award

As virtual reality (VR) moves further towards mainstream adoption, more and more experiences created for VR and 360-degree video are seeing recognition by major award bodies. One such example occurred recently with a VR experience that featured on the Jaunt VR platform being awarded and international Emmy Award.

At the Adelaide Film Festival, an immersive project titled Collisions was awarded with an international Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding New Approaches: Documentary’. Collisions is a VR project telling the story of indigenous Australian tribe, the Martu, following one of its elders named Nyarri Morgan.

Until the 1960s, the Martu had lived in the Pilbara desert of Western Australia largely untouched by Western culture. Collisions aims to tell the story of how the culture of the Martu was changed, and specifically, how Nyarri’s life was affected by the influence of Western science and technology. A dramatic impact of science and spirit had a profound affect on Nyarri, and using the immersive medium of VR means his story can reach people in a way the filmmakers hope will be more affecting.

Collisions was the first project to receive support from the Adelaide film festival. Artist Lynette Wallworth, producer Nicole Newnham and director Patrick Meegan from Jaunt all contributed towards the making of the VR film.

You can watch a 360-degree video version of the experience below. Jaunt VR users will soon be able to view the experience in full VR using the Jaunt VR app.

VRFocus will continue to report on awards and professional recognition given to VR projects.

August 30, 2017

Mixed Reality Content will Include Halo, Steam VR Support and Much More

The next steps are being taken for the mixed reality (MR) head-mounted displays (HMD’s) to be the next big thing. Microsoft has been focusing on their MR HMD’s,working together with Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo with motion controllers – these MR headsets will be launching later this year.

It may not look like there are is a lot of content at the moment, but there are already quite a few exciting items that will be available for the MR HMDs in the near future. Most notably, Microsoft has announced they’re working alongside 343 Industries on some Halo Projects for MR. Alex Kipman, Technical Fellow and Hololens creator said, “It’s my pleasure to let you know that we are working with 343 Industries to bring future Halo experiences into mixed reality”.

67 apps or videogames have been listed for their MR HMDs with some maybe more Chinese oriented apps. Windows MR HMDs will also have Steam VR compatibility. How this is going to work hasn’t been stated – either developers will need to add support to their titles individually or Valve’s OpenVR driver might be utilized – just like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, to provide easier access to Steam VR’s library.

Jaunt’s own VR app ‘Jaunt VR’ is set to use Microsoft’s Cortana for voice navigation and content adaptive streaming. The launch of the app will feature Jaunt’s first interactive cinematic 6DOF, Free the Night directed by Nicole McDonald, where you pick lights out of the skyline and place them back into the night sky.

Pre-orders for the Windows 10 development kit version of the MR headsets opened back in May. Then earlier this month the HP and Acer devices became available for anyone to buy through the Microsoft Store – although these are currently showing as out of stock. Microsoft’s Alex Kipman said at Microsoft’s Build 2017 event that the development versions will be fundamentally the same as the consumer versions when they are finally released.

August 28, 2017

Jaunt’s VR App for Windows Mixed Reality to feature Cortana Voice Navigation

Today’s virtual reality (VR) news has been firmly focused on Microsoft and its Windows Mixed Reality (MR) headset announcements. One of which was the unveiling of several apps and videogames that’ll support the new head-mounted displays (HMDs) from HP, Dell, Acer and Lenovo. This included Jaunt’s own VR app, which the company has now said will feature a bunch of improvements.

The Jaunt VR app for Windows Mixed Reality is set to feature a more intuitive user interface, voice navigation using Microsoft Cortana, and content adaptive streaming to insure optimal image quality relative to available bandwidth.

“Partnering with Microsoft for the launch of Windows Mixed Reality allows Jaunt to bring one of the largest libraries of high quality immersive cinematic content to one of the most prolific technology brands in the world. Microsoft’s significant investment in mixed reality speaks volumes about the future of this medium,” said Jaunt CEO & President, George Kliavkoff in a statement. “Working with Microsoft to bring the latest version of our app to audiences worldwide has allowed us to continue pushing the limits of what interactive content has to offer.”

Jaunt Mixed Image

Additionally, the launch of the app will also see the premiere of the company’s first interactive cinematic 6DOF film, Free the Night, directed by interactive filmmaker Nicole McDonald, of Marry the Moon and Hue, in which viewers pick lights out of a city skyline, placing them back into the night sky.

“As our first 6DOF film, FREE THE NIGHT expands Jaunt Studios’ offerings to give our users the next generation of interactive films,” added Kliavkoff. “It is beautifully imagined and executed by Nicole and the Studio team. It’s an exceptional experience.”

Jaunt’s VR app for Windows Mixed Reality will be available mid-October for the launch of the headsets.

For any further Jaunt updates, keep reading VRFocus.

August 4, 2017

Jaunt China Releases Content Worldwide

Jaunt VR is well known as one of the biggest distributors of immersive content, with regional offices producing 360-degree experiences for a worldwide audience. That’s apart from Jaunt China, which has only released content specifically aimed at Chinese viewers. However, from today that’s going to change with Jaunt announcing that for the first time Chinese language content will be available on the Jaunt VR app.

These will include Starry Night, a dynamic VR “oil painting” inspired by Van Gogh’s masterpiece; The Tibetan, a documentary that showcases Tibetan customs and traditions, Our Shanghai, a Shanghai tourism virtual reality (VR) experience starring the famous Shanghainese actor Hu Ge, and Cacao and Yangxiu, a classic Chinese story about famous ancient hero Cacao, one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period.

JauntVR OurShanghai

“Unique content has always been a hallmark of Jaunt and we are thrilled to feature the best Mandarin language content in the Jaunt App to users around the world from our partner Jaunt China,” said Mitzi Reaugh, VP, Global Strategy and Business Development. “This is not only a major step in pushing our experiences to the rest of the globe, but it strengthens our place as a platform with the best distribution strategy in the industry.”

Jaunt China premiered its VR app on Xiaomi VR in June, whilst Chinese customers can also get the app on PlayStation VR, Huawei VR, Samsung Gear VR and Cardboard. The app will also be coming to iOS and HTC Vive this month.

“Our vision is to build a borderless platform for creators to share their wonderful stories and immersive experiences with audiences around the world,” said James Fong, CEO of Jaunt China in a statement. “We launched Jaunt China a mere six months ago and began introducing Western titles to the Chinese viewers; today, we are at another milestone and are pleased to introduce some of the best content produced by Chinese artists to Jaunt’s global users. Today’s release is just a sample of the amazing content that is yet to come. We look forward to bringing China’s best creators and their beautiful works on to the world stage.”

You’ll be able to find Jaunt China world within the Jaunt VR app. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

July 16, 2017

Jaunt VR Celebrates London Pride Along with Tom Daley and Sadiq Khan

Virtual reality (VR) content makers Jaunt VR have been getting into the colourful spirit of London Pride weekend by releasing a 360-degree video featuring British Olympian Tom Daley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in Love Letter from London.

The VR video features footage specially recorded for the film that was captured over the course of the weekend of Pride. The four-minute film was captured using a Jaunt ONE camera, which captured the celebration that marked 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. Diver Tom Daley, who came out publicly in 2013, says as part of his interview, that his love letter to the world would be: “Dear world, the one thing in the world that does not cost a penny is love, and I think that is one of the most important messages out there.”

“In the world’s current climate we wanted to show how love conquers all”, said Canaan Rubin, Director of Content & Production, EMEA, at Jaunt VR. “Jaunt brought together an all-volunteer team to put the film together, including Visualise as our co-production partner who volunteered production and post services, as well as Whitecoat for contributing graphics and visual design, we couldn’t have done it without the full team effort.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was also interviewed for the short film, and he had this to say: “One of the greatest things about London is that you’re not simply tolerated or accepted by who you are; you are embraced, respected and celebrated. There’s nothing better for me as the mayor of London than to walk in the front of the parade and celebrate what is a great thing about London… you are free to be whoever you want to be, you are free to love whoever you want to love – love happens here!”

You can watch the short film on the Jaunt VR website.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Jaunt VR’s projects as it becomes available.

July 4, 2017

Jaunt, Google, REWIND and More Confirmed for VRUK This Week

At the end of this week VRUK, a London-based virtual reality (VR) festival focused on bringing together technologists, artists and content creators, will open its doors for two days of talks featuring some of the biggest names in the industry. The full line-up of speakers has been confirmed with companies like REWIND, Google, Jaunt and the BBC all in attendance.

Alongside the usual keynote speeches and roundtable discussions, there will be workshops encompassing the latest hot topics, an Exploration Zone so that visitors can demo the latest VR equipment and experience new filmmaking and videogame projects and Research Sessions, which focus on cutting-edge and experimental applications of VR.

Speakers at the event will include:

Kim-Leigh Pontin – Creative interaction director, Sky VR Studios – “Interactive Narrative Experiences: VR Learning”
Dean Johnson – Head of Innovation, Brandwidth – “Immersive Technologies and the Future of Advertising – Panel Discussion”
Greg Ivanov – Business Developer, Google – “VR at Google: What We’ve Built, What We’ve Learnt and Where We’re Headed”
Solomon Rogers – Founder/MD REWIND (FX) – “Creating ‘Flight Deck’ The World’s First Mixed Reality Motorsport Companion for Red Bull”
Dave Bomphrey, Director of Strategic Partnerships EMEA, Jaunt VR – “The State of Storytelling in VR”
Will Saunders Creative Director BBC & DCMS – “VR: Show Me The Money – Panel Discussion”

VRUK will be held on 6th – 7th July 2017, at Ravensbourne in the Greenwich Peninsula, London. Early bird tickets are still available, starting at £33 GBP (excluding fees and VAT) if you’re freelance, whilst industry professionals will need to pay £99 (excluding fees and VAT).

As ever, keep reading VRFocus for all the latest updates relating to VRUK.

May 11, 2017

Captivate VR CEO Jason Lovell Joins Jaunt VR

The virtual reality (VR) industry is still in its infancy by many metrics. Commercial VR has only existed for just over a year, and so many of the new businesses and start-ups will not survive the difficult process of growing up. Large businesses will also see challenges as they adapt to the new markets. As such, its expected to see a game of musical chairs happening with notable industry names moving from one company to another to seek new challenges. As seems to be the case with Jason Lovell.

Lovell was the founder and CEO of Captivate VR, a VR and augmented reality (AR) consultancy firm that focuses on providing expert knowledge to firms aiming to join the VR/AR sector and provided knowledge on how AR and VR technologies could be used to improve businesses. Prior to that Lovell also worked for Samsung as a Senior Product Manager for its Wearables and VR sector.

While Lovell seems to be retaining his position at CEO of Captivate VR, he has also accepted a position with Jaunt VR as Director of Brand Partnerships. Jaunt VR specialises in producing 360-degree videos and experiences which can be viewed either through the Jaunt VR app using a mobile VR device such as Google Cardboard, or through the Jaunt VR website. Speaking of his new position on LinkedIn, Lovell said: “After many years in consumer electronics, including with managing VR, wearables and SmartThings for Samsung UK, I decided to follow my passion for immersive technology by starting Captivate – an expert VR and AR consultancy focused on helping businesses of all sizes and sectors truly understand how the incredible power of virtual and augmented reality can be harnessed to create tangible and lasting business benefits. I’ve now very excited and proud to have joined Jaunt VR as their Director of Brand Partnerships for EMEA.

“My belief is that VR & AR are the most exciting technological innovations to come along for many years, and they have the potential to have a profound impact on the world around us in years to come. They present immensely exciting potential opportunities and benefits, and hence i’m excited to be dedicating my career to its future.”

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on developments in VR/AR businesses.

April 23, 2017

The VR Job Hub: Facebook, Jaunt VR and The Third Floor

The virtual reality (VR) sector is growing all the time. As a result, many companies are on the lookout for those interested in VR technologies. If you happen to be an artist, programmer, engineer or designer who has been inspired by reading VRFocus, perhaps there will be a job here that is perfect for you.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Menlo Park, California	Facebook	Art Director, Social VR	Click here to apply
Dallas, Texas	Facebook	VR Application Engineer	Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California	Facebook	Engineering Manager, Social VR	Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California	Facebook	Technical Designer, Social VR	Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California	Facebook	Software Engineer, Social VR	Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington	Facebook	Oculus Research VR/AR software Engineer	Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington	Facebook	Postdoctoral Research Scientist, VR and AR Audio	Click here to apply
Redmond, Washington	Facebook	Research VR/AR Software Engineer, PhD University Grad	Click here to apply
Menlo Park, California	Facebook	HR Business Partner – Applied Machine Learning, Social VR and AI Research Teams	Click here to apply
London, England	The Third Floor	VR Technical Artist & Designer	Click here to apply
London, England	FRAME	3D Generalist Visualiser (VR)	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Executive Assistant	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Camera Firmware Engineer	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Freelance 3D Art Generalist	Click here to apply
Santa Monica, CA	Jaunt VR	Research Manager	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	FP&A Manager	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	PR & Social Media Manager	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Senior Program Manager, Mandarin Speaking	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Sr. Software Engineer: Video Streaming and Playback	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Creative Services Production Designer	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Sr. Imaging Systems Engineer	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Software Engineer: Android	Click here to apply
New York	Jaunt VR	Regional Sales Manager	Click here to apply
San Mateo, CA	Jaunt VR	Senior Software Engineer, Applications	Click here to apply

As always, you can check last week’s edition for further job listings. If you are an employer looking for someone to fill a role in an AR or VR area and want the postion to be in next week’s VR Job Hub, please send the information to either pgraham@vrfocus.com or keva@vrfocus.com

There will be more job listing next Sunday here on VRFocus.

April 11, 2017

VR film shot from point of view of dead grandfather’s ashes

Submarine Channel, an Emmy-winning studio, has released their first-ever short virtual reality film Ashes to Ashes, which was shot from point of view of an urn containing the ashes of a dead grandfather.

The dead grandfather, Grit, sees all the family members as they try to cope with realities of life after his death and as they discuss what to do with the ashes. Each of the family members now lives in his or her own reality from the others, and their dishonesty is now evident from their grandfather’s point of view. They lived in pretense when he was alive but now he can see their once hidden dishonesty now damaging relationships among them.

Echoing the theme of what is real and what isn’t, the crew members working on the film are also in the scene.

The movie can be viewed on major devices and platforms including Gear VR, Oculus, Daydream, Vive, PlayStation VR, Android smartphones and iOS devices.

The movie was shot in one take with a moving camera placed on a remote-control dolly track to allow seamless set changes.

“It’s live action, and the sets change constantly making it a very dynamic experience,” a Submarine Channel spokesperson told Hypergrid Business.

The team shared the many good lessons that they took away from the shooting.

(Image courtesy Submarine Channel.)

Ashes to Ashes started as an experiment at the VR Days Europe, but grew into an international co-production between an Emmy-winning studio Submarine Channel, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, a virtual reality production house WeMakeVR, Jaunt VR, a virtual reality content company Force Field VR, and a sound studio Big Orange. It is directed by three directors from theater, film, virtual reality fields — Ingejan Ligthart Schenk, Jamille van Wijngaarden and Steye Hallema.

(Image courtesy Submarine Channel.)

The movie recently won gold at the Dutch VR Awards.

You can download WeShareVR, AVROTROS VR Android, WeShareVR iOS, JauntVR Indie Pics, JauntVR and AVROTROS VR iOS to view the film across the main virtual reality viewers.

March 21, 2017

SC Johnson Produce VR Film to Promote Rainforest Conservation

Maker of household products such as Glade and Pledge, SC Johnson have produced a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) film called Under The Canopy as part of their campaign to promote conservation of the rainforest.

Under The Canopy is a journey through the Amazon rainforest, in which the viewer is guided through the lush tropical landscape by the indigenous people who live there. Viewers can have the experience of swinging from trees and diving into rivers as they find out more about the rainforest and why it is so important to our planet.

SC Johnson has launched the VR film as part of a broader campaign to raise awareness and help conservation efforts. The company has announced that for every acre of rainforest that is protected through donations to Conservation International (CI), SC Johnson will match the donation acre-for-acre up to 5,000 acres.

“SC Johnson has supported a number of global forest protection efforts over the years as part of our commitment to sustainability,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson. “We will continue to work to support the preservation of rainforests and Earth’s other critical resources for future generations.”

SC Johnson says it is committed to trying to attain net zero deforestation by 2020, by implementing the use of sustainable pulp, paper and packaging.

You can experience the Under The Canopy VR film through the Jaunt VR app. Donations to Conservation International that will be matched by SC Johnson can be made at the CI website.

VRFocus will bring you further news on VR films and related topics as they come in.