YUKI, Kusunda & Olympia Take Home Raindance Immersive Awards

Raindance Immersive 2021

It’s currently awards season for many industries and XR is no different. Last week the VR Awards held its event and today Raindance Immersive revealed its slate of award winners, highlighting some of the best virtual reality (VR) content you should look out for.

Yuki

The Raindance Film Festival is held every year in London, UK, with Raindance Immersive now in its sixth year. Like many events trying to adjust to a more remote way of working the festival presented most of its works through VRChat and AltspaceVR, enabling a global audience to enjoy virtual worlds, art exhibitions, private tours, and previews.

Unlike a lot of awards events, Raindance Immerse keeps things fairly simple, with six jury awards and the Spirit of Raindance Award that’s selected by the festival team. Probably the most well known out of all the award winners is ARVORE’s YUKI, a roguelite shooter that won the Best Immersive Game category.

Next was the Best Narrative Experience which was won by The Severence Theory: Welcome To Respite, consisting of a live theatrical performance with two actors inside VRChat. Kusunda, a voice-driven interactive VR experience about the Kusunda language in western Nepal was awarded the Best Documentary experience, whilst Olympia, a VRChat world took home the Best Immersive World award. In the Best Multiplayer Category, The MetaMovie Presents: Alien Rescue secured the top spot with a cinematic VR adventure supported by live actors.

Kusunda

The Discovery Award: Best Debut was a little more unusual in that there were two winners, The Pirate Queen: Night of Succession and VRium: Nymphs & ArtSpaceVR Presents: The Popovy Sisters. The former is a puzzle-based VR adventure by Eloise Singer, with the latter an exhibition of Fine-Art-Dolls created by the Popovy Sisters inside AltspaceVR. Going a step further, the Spirit of Raindance Award actually had three winners in total; Magic Heist, Mycelia and Noir – Nocturne.

We were the first festival to recognise virtual world builders as artists, creating an award for Best Immersive World,” says Raindance Immersive curator Mária Rakušanová in a statement. “Last year we focused on VRChat as a platform. This year we additionally curated virtual worlds, art shows, and live theatrical and dance performances on other social VR ‘Metaverse’ platforms such as Neos VR, AltspaceVR and Engage. It’s therefore fitting that our two Raindance Immersive Awards Ceremonies took place virtually at the Raindance Embassy world in VRChat, and were simultaneously live-streamed to YouTube and into virtual worlds in AltspaceVR and Neos VR, connecting the communities of these social VR ‘Metaverse’ platforms – another first for Raindance Immersive.”

Next up will be The Game Awards where the likes of Resident Evil 4 and Lone Echo II will be competing in the Best AR/VR category. For continued updates keep reading VRFocus.

Raindance Immersive Returns Next Week Both Online and In-Person

Raindance Embassy VRChat

Now in its sixth year, Raindance Immersive returns in 2021 as part of the wider Raindance Film Festival held every year in London, UK. Today, Raindance Immersive announced the lineup for this year’s event which takes place next week, featuring over 30 works from creators around the world, both online and at physical locations in London.

Viveport Cat Art

Just like last year Raindance Immersive will utilise platforms including VRChat and AltspaceVR to showcase its selection of immersive works, curated by Mária Rakušanová with virtual worlds co-curated by Joe Hunting. VR fans will be able to enjoy a selection of virtual worlds built inside VRChat, live performances on both aforementioned platforms, virtual art exhibitions, private tours, and special previews.

“Raindance immersive is back this year with groundbreaking new work by the most brilliant indie VR creators,“ says Rakušanová in a statement. “Immerse yourself in virtual worlds across the VRChat, Neos VR and AltSpaceVR platforms. Take a front-row seat for live musical and theatrical performances. See virtual art exhibitions, from animated cat art masterpieces to giant avant-garde art dolls. Take private tours of virtual worlds, guided by the creators themselves. And discover special previews of new VR games. Immerse yourself in Raindance!”

To give you an idea of what will be shown during the month-long event, here are a few highlights:

  • Virtual Worlds
    • Magic Heist – An adventure ride world inside VRChat where you fight forces that have taken over the Magic Academy.
    • Olympia – Take a short trip to the ancient world of Olympia in VRChat
  • Live Performances
    • The Metaverse Movie Presents: Alien Rescue – A cinematic VR adventure featuring live actors inside the Neos VR social platform.
    • The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite – A theatrical performance with two actors inside VRChat lloking at what it’s like to live with mental illness.
  • Virtual Art Exhibitions
    • ArtspceVR Presents: The Popovy Sisters – Inside AltspaceVR creators ShuShu, Niko and The Popovy Sisters will host their first exhibition, a special collection of Fine-Art-Dolls.
    • Step Into Cat Art – A virtual gallery of the work of Japanese artist Shu Yamamoto.
  • Private Tours
    • Nature Treks: Together – Explore a beautiful island paradise with the creator, supports up to 16 people.
    • Rise: A Sky Without Stars – Creators Mystic Forge will take the audience on a special preview of its post-apocalyptic virtual game world.
Yuki

Raindance Immersive Awards 2021

Best Narrative Experience

  • Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft
  • Glimpse
  • Green Fairy VR
  • Madrid Noir    
  • The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite
  • The Sick Rose

Best Documentary Experience

  • Belongings
  • Il Dubbio Episode 2
  • My Identity Is This Expanse!
  • MYRIAD. Where we connect. | VR Experience
  • KUSUNDA
  • The Leap 1961

Best Multiplayer Experience

  • Knight of the Wailing Stars
  • Mycelia
  • Nature Treks: Together
  • “Step Into Cat Art” Online Exhibition
  • The MetaMovie Presents: Alien Rescue
  • VRium: Nymphs and ArtSpaceVR Presents: The Popovy Sisters

Best Immersive World

  • Magic Heist
  • Noir – Nocturne
  • Olympia
  • Pop Escape
  • Rocky Mountain Park
  • Unannounced virtual world (announcement coming soon)

Best Immersive Game

  • Ragnarock
  • Spacefolk City
  • Sushi Ben VR
  • The Pirate Queen: Night of Succession
  • YUKI
  • Unannounced game (announcement coming soon)

Discovery Award: Best Debut

  • Belongings
  • Maloka
  • Sushi Ben VR
  • The Leap
  • The Pirate Queen
  • VRium: Nymphs & ArtSpaceVR Presents: The Popovy Sisters

Raindance Immersive will run from 27th October – 21st November 2021. For continued updates on the event keep reading VRFocus.

Raindance 2019 Brings The Latest In VR Storytelling To London Next Month

The annual Raindance Film Festival approaches London once more. This year’s show will feature nearly 30 VR experiences.

As per usual, Raindance 2019’s immersive offerings include a mix of gaming, world premiere VR experiences and a chance to see some of the pieces first shown at festivals like Tribecca and Sundance. The selection includes both full VR pieces and 360 videos.

Rise of Animals

In terms of premieres, we’re looking forward to seeing Heart of Darkness, the latest animated experience from Sutu. There’s also Rise of Animals, a new experience with Sir David Attenborough. The experience will give us a virtual look at three prehistoric animals.

Elsewhere, we’ll get a first look at Anonymous, the VR film debut from Virtual Umbrella’s Samantha Kingston.

As for returning experiences, Gloomy Eyes, an animated VR story starring Colin Farrell, will be on display. Tupac Martir’s Cosmos Within Us will be at the show too.

Meanwhile, in the gaming section, Raindance will showcase the likes of No Man’s Sky Beyond and Maze Theory’s soon-too-release Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. Fast Travel Games’ The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will also be on display. We’ll also see the international premiere of The Infinite Hotel, a promising new game from Italic Pig.

The best experiences are also being gathered for the Raindance Awards.

Raindance 2019 runs from September 25 to October 6. If you’re looking for tickets you can find them here.

Disclaimer: UploadVR’s Jamie Feltham will be a judge on the ‘Best Immersive Game’ category at this year’s Raindance Awards.

The post Raindance 2019 Brings The Latest In VR Storytelling To London Next Month appeared first on UploadVR.

Inition Lead the 360 Film Workshop at the VR Diversity Initiative

Inition are no stanger to creating and filming various 360 film content. I met with the creators after hosting a panel on social impact at the Raindance Film Festival UK. ‘Being Me: Revealing and Healing Childhood Trauma’ was shortlisted for best VR film for social impact and was a partnership between Inition and The Cornerstone Partnership. The Cornerstone Partnership wanted to create an immersive therapeutic training tool using virtual reality (VR) to help foster empathy. When the VR Diversity Initiative (VRDI) needed 360 film workshop leaders Peter Collis and Imogen Hammond stepped forward with enthusiasm.

Being_ME
The film conveys the effects of substance abuse and domestic violence through the mother and father.

When Inition came on board to teach the 360 film workshop leaders, they first wanted to get an idea of who the participants would be. Before the 19th of October, the participants who chose to participate in the 360 Film workshop were sent several questions before attending.

  1. What previous film-making experience do you have?
  2. What drew you to the workshop and how might VR relate to your current practice / interests?
  3. What are your expectations of the workshop & what would you like to get out of the day?

Depending on the answers from participants, Peter and Imogen tailored their workshop to meet the needs of participants. They also showcased individual case studies of VR films they had made. They allowed participants to view, On the Road to Makin Polio History and I Dream of an Empty Ward on VR headsets they had brought with. They then did a step-by-step process of mistakes they made, what they realised when shooting and how they tried to solve them. This allowed the participants to come to grips with the theory of VR filmmaking and the new cinematic language that comes with it. 

INITION_VRDI

The first half of the day was focused on theory, understanding the cameras and the limitations of the current technology. A lot of focus was put on why one would use 360 filmmaking, and what was the right moment to choose this way of filmmaking compared to conventional filmmaking methods.

The second half of the day was more practical. The participants went to shoot with various 360 cameras, putting the camera in various locations and trying out various different actions around it. This hands-on method is integral to the VR Diversity Initiative, as we want all participants to go home with a rough VR prototype after attending. The participants came back at the end of the day and did a few rough cuts of the footage they had shot during the day. Participants from other workshops were also able to see what they had shot in a VR headset at the end of the day.

Some of the participants wanted to get hands-on with the camera and had no knowledge of price range of 360 cameras nor their pros or cons. Others wanted to understand the workflow and language of 360 filming, how it differed to conventional 2D filmmaking. Others wanted to see how professional 360 filmmakers approached their content. To find out more about what took place during the workshop check out the video below:

VR Horror Experience Transference Wins Raindance Immersive Story Award

One of Europe’s most prestigious independent film festivals, the Raindance Film Festival, has just announced the winners of the Randance Immersive Stories (VR) Awards, which followed on from a successful and sold out, exhibition at the Raindance Gallery of Immersive Stories.

Among the winners was immersive horror experience Transference, which starred actor Elijah Wood other VR experiences recognised at the event includes Crow: The Legend, Dinner Party and Grenfell, Our Home.

Transference

Psychological thriller Transference, directed by SpectreVision and Ubisoft and starring Elijah Wood was the winner of Best Narrative Experience, while Crow: The Legend got an award for Best Animation Experience.

Best Cinematic Experience went to Dinner Party, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and tells the story of a couple who reported the first UFO abduction in American in 1961. Best Documentary Experience wet to Grenfell, Our Home is a VR documentary which shows the recollections of the survivors of the Grenfell fire, presented in stereoscopic 360-degree video combined with CGI.

The award for Best Social Impact Experience is The Evolution of Testicles, which was created by Ryan Hartsell and starring Chris O’Dowd for the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign, designed to raise awareness of testicular cancer through laughter.

Chris O’Dowd says, “It feels terrific to win a Raindance Immersive Stories (VR) Award. It‘s exciting to be part of a new generation of filmmakers and a new medium. The potential that this medium has to have social impact is so important – we’ve won for a film about men checking their balls!”

The Grand Jury Prize: Best Immersive Story is Arden’s Wake, Tide’s Fall, directed by Eugene YK Chung. Discovery Award: Best Debut Experience was given to Madrid Noir – Prologue.

“We are thrilled to recognise pioneering Virtual Reality experiences across a number of emerging genres in the medium. Reflecting the latest trends in the industry, this year we introduced three new awards, such as Best Multi-Person Experience, shining the spotlight on social VR experiences, giving audiences a taste of what the future of immersive storytelling will soon feel like; British Award: Best UK Experience and Discovery Award: Best Debut Experience, recognising first-time VR creators.” said Mária Rakušanová, Curator of Raindance Immersive Stories and Interactive Worlds.

For future coverage of VR recognised by awards bodies will be here on VRFocus.

Being Me: Revealing and Healing Childhood Trauma Shortlisted for Best VR Film for Social Impact at Raindance Film Festival

Regarded as one of the biggest and most well known of the global film festivals, the Raindance Film Festival opens its doors in London, UK, this week, featuring an international roster of immersive 360-degree and virtual reality (VR) content. As part of the event social enterprise The Cornerstone Partnership has revealed its film Being Me: Revealing and Healing Childhood Trauma has been shortlisted in the Best VR Film for Social Impact category.

Being Me

A collaboration between The Cornerstone Partnership and INITION, Being Me: Revealing and Healing Childhood Trauma  uses VR to highlight the needs of children in the care system. The film follows the early development of the child, beginning with the child’s experience in the womb as a foetus, sensing the effects of substance abuse and domestic violence via the mother. The viewer then has the opportunity to experience the abuse and neglect first hand, through the eyes of the now infant child. Progressing into early childhood, the viewer experiences the power of intervention from adults in the child’s life such as a social worker, adoptive parent, or teacher.

“We are delighted to have two of our films shortlisted for the Best Social Impact Experience,” said Helen Costa CEO Cornerstone. “Growing up in care can have huge societal and psychological impact with many children struggling in later life. Using technology in this way can transform behavioral change and create a greater understanding and empathy for children who have been through the care system.”

The reason The Cornerstone Partnership is using VR in children’s social care is to enable people to put themselves in the child’s shoes, reframe their beliefs and ultimately shift attitude and accelerate long lasting behaviour change.

Raindance Film Festival

“Inition works with a variety of third sector organisations because it creates powerful and exciting opportunities for them to accelerate behavioral change through creative strategy and immersive technologies. Because VR fully immerses its users, it is the perfect platform to help adult carers, teachers and social workers empathise with traumatised children whilst gaining a more complete understanding of how their parenting can help,” adds Inition’s CEO, Adrian Leu.

Costa will be speaking at the Raindance Immersive Stories Summit in partnership with HTC Vive on the 4th October, while The Awards Ceremony will be held on 5th October 2018. For any further updates on the Raindance Film Festival keep reading VRFocus.

VR Experience from Figment Productions Nominated for Two Raindance Awards

As has been covered a number of times on VRFocus, an increasing number of film festivals and award committees are recognising the contribution of immersive media. The Raindance Film Festival is due to be held in London later this month, and some virtual reality (VR) experiences have made the cut. Notably, a VR experience from Figment Productions has been nominated for two awards.

Figment Productions is best known for its work in location-based VR experiences, and now the company has been recognised by a noted film festival for its work on cinematic VR experience Kinch and the Double World.

The story of Kinch and the Double World concerns a young homeless boy called Kinch, living on the streets of Victorian London. After stealing a loaf of bread and being pursued by the law, he hides in an old theatre and find himself being taken in by an old magician, who reveals a secret world where magic is real.

The immersive VR experience will have its premiere at the Raindance Film Festival, where it will be shown at OXO Tower on London’s Southbank. Attendees will watch the experience on an Oculus Go headset.

According to Figment Productions, Kinch and the Double World acts as a test bed for new production techniques, including the use of lightfield display technology. The 360-degree film was captured using a combination of different camera types, including Google Jump and Nokia OZO. Four different locations across London were used during filming, and the final product features a melding of 360-degree live action combined with CGI environments, lightfield technology and real-time interaction.

Simon Reveley, CEO of Figment said: “Kinch and the Double World is an original cinematic VR experience but it has an unusual origin story of its own. Its primary purpose was to be the test case for a government funded research project called ‘ALIVE’. With government funding from Innovate UK we worked with technology partners (Foundry and the University of Surrey) whose tasks were to develop the core tech and the toolchain that would facilitate next generation production techniques particularly around 360 video and lightfields.”

Further information about the Raindance Film Festival can be found on the official website. Future coverage on Figment Productions VR projects will be here on VRFocus.

London’s Raindance Film Festival Welcomes 33 VR Experiences Next Month

London’s Raindance Film Festival Welcomes 33 VR Experiences Next Month

Next month’s Raindance Film Festival will bring some of the best VR experiences from events like Tribeca and Sundance to London for the first time.

The festival this week announced 33 different VR experiences that will be on display in the UK capital from September 26th to October 7th. Many of these include intriguing films and experimental apps that are making their UK premiere, like the next installment in the Arden’s Wake series and Crow: The Legend, which stars Oprah Winfrey and John Legend.

Raindance will also play host to some all-new experiences like 7 Miracles, the feature-length VR movie being published by Vive Studios that follows Jesus throughout the book of John. The Archivist, meanwhile, is a Twin Peaks-inspired piece that has players explore a surreal mystery. We’re also excited to check out The Apple, a multi-person experience that takes viewers through various stages of life.

Elsewhere there’s a selection of 360 degree video playlists that showcase the latest the medium has to offer and even a gaming section with interactive content on offer. The latter includes a look at Ubisoft’s Transference and an incredibly nope-looking VR horror game named Kobold.

Each of the experiences featured in the festival is also up for the Raindance Immersive Stories Awards, covering categories like Best Immersive Story and Best Interactive Narrative Experience. The nominees will be sharing their own stories at a Summit on October 4th, while the Awards Ceremony will kick off on October 6th.

Tickets to various screenings across the week are available from Raindance’s official website.

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Vive Studios Announces First Feature-Length VR Film, 7 Miracles

Vive Studios have announced their first virtual reality (VR) feature film, in partnership with Panogramma and Film Production Consultants, entitled 7 Miracles. The title will be one of the first feature-length cinematic VR experiences and is set to premiere at the 26th Raindance Film Festival, Europe’s leading independent Film Festival on October 3rd, 2018.

Vive Studios

7 Miracles recreate the seven miracles performed by Jesus Christ based on the Gospel of John in VR. The seven-part 360-degree experience will immerse and connected the audience like never before to the stories that are known to many. The film is being created by leveraging the latest in capture technology such a photogrammetry and volumetric video capture to produce images in stunning 8K with additional scenes created in 3D.

“We are thrilled to push the boundaries of story-telling in VR with 7 Miracles,” Said Joel Breton, GM of Vive Studios. “Our amazing film production team has worked tirelessly to pioneer the technology for cinematic virtual reality and to bring the viewers back in time to experience the miracles of Jesus for themselves.”

Shot in Rome and in Matera, the film has been directed by Rodrigo Cerqueira (Jesus VR: The Story of Christ) and co-directed by Marco Spagnoli (Hollywood Invasion, Hollywood on Tiber, Walt Disney and Italy – A Love Story). The VR film was produced by Enzo Sisti (Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Passion of the Christ) and Vive Studios’ Joel Breton (Pirates of the Caribbean, Unreal, Anno 1602, Terrarria) and Rodrigo Cerqueira.

7 Miracles

“Working on this project has been a wonderful experience for me and my team. This new cinematic VR technology has given my team and me a chance to create and tell more personal and intimate stories,” Said Enzo Sisti, Executive Producer. “I’m very proud of our work.”

Vive Studios’ 7 Miracles will premiere at the 2018 Raindance Film Festival, which is the largest independent film festival in the UK. The 26th Raindance will take place between September 26th, 2018 and October 7th, 2018 in central London.

For all the latest on Vive Studios’ work and 7 Miracles in the future, keep reading VRFocus to stay up to date with all updates.

Raindance Film Festival Announces Line-up Of VR

Raindance Film Festival is one of the biggest and most recognisable international film festivals, and it is also one that has embraced immersive experiences, which includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Raindance has now confirmed the line-up for its immersive strand, the Raindance Immersive Stories and Interactive Worlds.

The event will be held between Thursday 4th and Sunday 7th October. The selection will feature 33 VR experiences, many of which will feature well-known directors and performers such as Elijah Wood, who is appearing in surreal VR experience Transference and Dame Judi Dench, who will be in My Oak Tree VR.

17 VR experiences will get their world premiere, including a feature-length cinematic VR experience called 7 Miracles, which has been produced by Vive Studios. The experience has been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize: Best Immersive Story at the festival.

The selected 33 VR experiences have been nominated for Raindance Immersive Stories Awards, across a full 10 categories:

  • Best Interactive Narrative Experience
  • Best Animation Experience
  • Best Cinematic Experience
  • Best Documentary Experience
  • Best Social Impact Experience
  • Best Music Experience
  • Best Multi-Person Experience
  • Discovery Award: Best Debut Experience
  • British Award: Best UK Experience
  • Grand Jury Prize: Best Immersive Story

In order to keep up with the change in the film industry, and the developing technology of the immersive sector, the festival introduced a new award, Best Multi-Person Experience, which attempts to show what the future of immersive storytelling may be like.

The ten winners will be selected by an international panel of jury members, taken from all across the film industry.

The Raindance Film Festival will begin on Wednesday 26th September, and run until Sunday 7th October. Further information, including the full list of Raindance Immersive Stories is available on the Raindance Film Festival website.

Future coverage on film festivals with a VR or immersive element will be here on VRFocus.