Ridley Scott – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 21, 2017

New ‘Alien’ Multiplayer Free-Roaming VR Experience in Development by Fox

20th Century Fox’s Interactive Entertainment and theme park arm FoxNext is building a 2000 sq. ft free-roaming multiplayer VR experience set in the world of the Alien movie franchise.

The Alien movie franchise is among the most enduring in history, with very entry re-imagining a universe that was conceived almost 40 years ago with the latest, Alien: Covenant, in theatres right now. Yes the series has been a mixed bag from a critical perspective, but there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you grew up loving the 1986 sequel to Ridley Scott’s masterful 1979 original, Aliens, directed by James Cameron. If you’re nodding your head in enthusiastic agreement while reading this, then I’ve got some great news for you.

FoxNext is a new division of 20th Century Fox comprising FoxNext Destinations, FoxNext Games and FoxNext VR Studio. FoxNext Destinations (focused on out of home entertainment, theme parks etc.), have shown off a proof of concept virtual reality experience for a large scale multi-player virtual reality experience. According to the Hollywood Reporter who snagged a sneak peek at the POC, this experience is the proving ground for a 2000 sq. ft. attraction including “specially-created prop guns with haptic effects and hand tracking.” And, perhaps inspired by the pioneering work by The Void, the experience will also integrate motion platforms, heat, mist and “physical elements” to bring the virtual headset delivered imagery to life. Although not confirmed, it does sound like the experience may be weapons oriented, with a chance that the experience may veer towards an Aliens (rather then Alien) setting. A prospect which Cameron may not relish given his public criticism of VR in the past.

“FoxNext was created to support our motion pictures and with the view that technology is creating an opportunity for us to really revolutionize the way stories will be told in the future,” FoxNext president Salil Mehta told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s enormous innovation occurring that allows real interactive storytelling, and we created divisions to focus on games, VR and location-based entertainment. We’re trying to define the best ways to create content for each.”

FoxNext is working with iP2 Entertainment and Pure Imagination Studios to build the technology behind the experience and, at this early stage, it seems that the teams are using Samung Gear VR headsets connected via “iP2’s proprietary wireless VR technology”, presumably with the help of some form large scale (i.e. industrial motion capture) rig for tracking both props and headsets. Whether this would remain the case for the full-developed version of the experience is unknown at this time, but in terms of content the report states that “volumetric capture techniques” were used to produce it, perhaps for scans of the physical set to be brought into VR.

This writer absolutely was one of the aforementioned who did grow up loving Alien and Aliens, and the (albeit tentative) prospect of being able to step into boots of a colonial marine, handed an M41A pulse rifle and taking the fight to the Xenomorph fills me with more childish glee than I’m prepared to own up to.

As soon as we learn more, we’ll let you know.

The post New ‘Alien’ Multiplayer Free-Roaming VR Experience in Development by Fox appeared first on Road to VR.

April 26, 2017

Alien: Covenant In Utero Bursts on to Oculus Rift

Geeks and fans of the Alien franchise around the world are celebrating ‘Alien Day’, derived from the planet LV-426 featured in Alien. To add to the festivities, Ridley Scott’s virtual reality subsidiary RSA VR have launched Alien: Covenant in Utero on to Oculus Rift.

The VR experience puts the user in the place of a xenomorph as it is birthed into the world in a shower of gore, and then will be able to explore the environment for the unique perspective of the lethal alien lifeform.

“With the In Utero experience, audience participation is taken to a whole new level. You get to be a Neomorph, exploring what’s happening around you and within you,” said Ridley Scott.

“Before I even touched a camera, ALIEN was a movie that set me on my journey. The film provoked me and opened my eyes to a new level of cinematic immersion. I feel very privileged to be directing Alien: Covenant In Utero and building upon the universe that Ridley has created. Tapping into both traditional storytelling and the emerging technology driving virtual reality, my aim has been to do something new and bold, which Ridley has supported from the beginning,” added Alien: Covenant director David Karlak.

The experience will be available as a 360-degree video fro Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR from 26th April, 2017. The experience was created as a collaboration between Fox Innovation Labs, RSA VR and VFX studio MPC.

“The VR work for Alien: Covenant In Utero was a creative adventure because we needed to remain true to the existing ALIEN narrative in an immersive medium, while setting the stage for the upcoming movie. To reach the widest audience, we worked with our colleagues at the Technicolor Experience Center to ensure that Alien: Covenant In Utero could be experienced on both tethered and mobile HMDs. Because the ALIEN franchise is a global phenomenon, we are regionalizing the VR experience by supporting 12 different languages,” said Logan Brown Head of VR and Immersive Content – Film US at MPC VR, and Executive Producer at the Technicolor Experience Centre.

VRFocus will bring you further information Alien: Covenant In Utero and other VR experiences when it becomes available.

April 18, 2017

Alien Director Ridley Scott Launches New VR Studio

Famed director Ridley Scott has long been known as the type of film maker who pushes the limits of technology, a reputation he seems to be determined to stick with as his company RSA Films announces a special division dedicated to virtual reality (VR).

Back in 2015, Scott announced he was working on a VR-related project, which would appear to be related to the announcement of the RSA VR studio. The first project that RSA VR will be working on will be a short VR experience to tie-in to the upcoming Alien: Covenant film, which has been previously covered on VRFocus.

Alien: Covenant is due out in cinemas on 19^th May and is being directed by David Karlak with Ridley Scott as executive producer. The tie-in VR experience is being worked on by Fox Innovation Lab along with RSA VR and AMD and is expected to be released on ‘All major VR platforms’.

“We have been heavily involved in VR for the past few years, and having a dedicated stand-alone division underscores our commitment to immersive media in both the brand and entertainment space,” RSA’s president Jules Day said in a statement. “In addition to being one of the most well regarded producers in commercials and content, Jen Dennis brings hands-on experience developing and producing VR and is among the foremost influencers in the space. Ridley has a long lineage as a pioneer in creative technology, and RSA’s roster includes incredibly talented directors who understand the unique language of VR. We are pleased to offer this formidable resource to our clients.”

Dennis, Head of RSA VR said: “I am thrilled to head up our VR division. I think VR is one of the most exciting areas in the industry today, with potential to influence how we consume content for generations to come.”

Also announced was an episodic VR documentary created by underwater photographer Michael Muller, who is also known for producing the photography for a great many movie posters, including Captain America: Civil War and Deadpool. Details on what the documentary will cover are currently unavailable, but considering Muller’s skill set, it seems likely it will be an underwater experience of some kind.

VRFocus will bring you further information on other RSA VR projects when it becomes available.

April 18, 2017

Ridley Scott’s Dedicated VR Division Is Working On An Alien Experience

April 17, 2017

‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’ Director Ridley Scott Launches VR Film Division

Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), the film production company of famed director Ridley Scott, is launching RSA VR, a new division dedicated to the production of high-end immersive films using VR, AR, and mixed reality. Scott and co. is known for work on acclaimed films such as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), and more throughout his career as a director now going on 40 years.

RSA today announced the launch of RSA VR, a formalization and expansion of RSA’s recent work in VR space which has included the production of The Martian VR Experience (2016) and a forthcoming Alien: Covenant experience.

In a prepared release, the studio calls RSA VR, “a new division dedicated exclusively to the creative development and production of VR, AR and mixed media.”

Jen Dennis to head RSA VR | Photo courtesy Jen Dennis

RSA VR will be headed by Jen Dennis who has collaborated on the studio’s VR work to date, including co-executive production of The Martian VR Experience.

As RSA VR sees a formal announcement, the division is in the midst of numerous VR projects, including a 360 immersive film campaign for Siemens, the forthcoming Alien: Covenant VR experience (to be co-executive produced by Ridley Scott himself), an episodic VR series called Blackbox in partnership with Endless VR, and a yet unannounced episodic VR documentary series directed by photographer Michael Muller.

“We have been heavily involved in VR for the past few years, and having a dedicated stand-alone division underscores our commitment to immersive media in both the brand and entertainment space,” said Jules Daly, President, RSA Films. “In addition to being one of the most well regarded producers in commercials and content, Jen Dennis brings hands-on experience developing and producing VR and is among the foremost influencers in the space. Ridley has a long lineage as a pioneer in creative technology, and RSA’s roster includes incredibly talented directors who understand the unique language of VR. We are pleased to offer this formidable resource to our clients.”

Among RSA’s roster of directors, the studio says 13 of them are “working in and pursuing projects in VR.”

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January 4, 2017

‘Alien: Covenant’ is Getting a VR Experience

The minds behind the well-executed-but-a-little-too-expensive The Martian VR Experience are working on a new immersive tie in for the next entry in the Alien movie franchise, Alien: Covenant.

Movie tie-ins, once reviled in the gaming community often as worthless, lazy cash-ins, may see a renaissance with the advent of consumer virtual reality technology. There have been a handful of genuinely interesting, worthwhile immersive experiences launched over the last couple of years to lend credence to this assertion too – the most recent and notable being Fox Innovation Lab’s The Martian VR Experience. It’s an example of a thoughtful, immersive extension to the original movie experience and, although it was too short and perhaps a wee bit too expensive for many to consider as a purchase, it nevertheless sits as a high watermark of what can be achieved in the space.

Now comes news from the team behind The Martian VR Experience that they’re working on a similar virtual reality tie-in for the incoming and highly anticipated Ridley Scott directed Alien: Covenant, the latest installment in the Alien franchise and direct sequel to the 2012 Scott-helmed Prometheus. A new trailer for the film was released over the holiday period and it’s garnered much interest, especially from those (myself included) who felt that the original had a tad too little actual Alien in it (among many other issues which I’ll not anger myself or bore you by going into here).

Off the back of that trailer comes news from Fox Innovation Lab that a new VR experience is in the works and will arrive after the film’s release in May this year. Unfortunately the press release has scant information on exactly what form this new VR experience will take (and when we say scant, we mean none) but, as with The Martian VR Experience, Ridley Scott takes the Executive Producer credit.

We’re hoping that the same level of polish, creativity and immersion seen in The Martian VR Experience transfers to this new project. Those who had the chance to dabble in the hidden VR functionality and play the excellent Alien: Isolation immersively will likely attest to the terror VR can induce when your senses are thrust into such a well known horror universe as Alien. We’ll leave you with the teaser paragraph taken directly from the press release, and we’ll of course let you know once we learn more.

The VR Experience for ALIEN: COVENANT is a dread-inducing journey into the depths of the Alien universe.

Viewers will discover the true meaning of terror as they navigate through horrifying alien environments and a story where every decision could mean the difference between life and death.

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November 18, 2016

‘The Martian VR Experience’ Review: An Intergalactic Rip-Off

Normally, we wouldn’t review something like The Martian VR Experience. Normally we’d give you some quick impressions about what would likely be a fun, if forgettable piece that puts you in the world of the movie. We’d tell you that if you’re a fan of the franchise then it’s something you’ll want to see, but everyone else can probably skip it.

Normally, though, studios don’t charge for this sort of thing.

Despite lasting around 20 minutes, The Martian VR costs $19.99 on HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. I suspect that’s a decision made by publisher 20th Century Fox and not developers The Third Floor and The Virtual Reality Company. For your money, you’ll get to experience a handful of scenes from last year’s Ridley Scott sci-fi epic in VR, taking on the role of protagonist Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon in the movie. It’s far from terrible, but at such a hefty price tag it’s impossible to recommend until it’s on a sale that drastically slashes its price.

The Martian VR Experience covers pretty much the entire movie, so you’ll want to actually see it before trying this to avoid spoilers. It begins as Watney crash-lands on Mars, and subsequent scenes are strung together somewhat awkwardly by snippets from the movie itself, appearing in virtual windows. When a scene that makes sense for VR crops up, you’ll be transported back into Watney’s body to experience it first-hand.

For the most part, these scenes are seated, stationary experiences, which feels like a decision made to accommodate the PlayStation VR version. You’ll use each headset’s respective position-tracked controls to interact with the environment around you much in the same way you do in other VR experiences like Job Simulator. At one point you’ll control a crane, at one point you’ll drive a buggy, and at another point you’ll steer through space with your hand.

As far as gameplay goes, this is actually a pretty refined and visually impressive experience. The detail on the suit Watney wears is striking, even if the decision to include arms often bends them at weird angles and drags you out of the immersion. The helmet covering your view is also one of the best we’ve seen in VR; it really feels like you’re housed inside the claustrophobic shell throughout.

Many of these scenes are redundant and brief, however. At one point you’ll hear an explosion, the screen fades to black, and you’re transported outside to see debris flung in front of you. The sequence lasts about five seconds and comes off as incredibly lackluster. Every task is simplistic, and if you’ve had an HTC Vive or any major headset for more than a few days, there’s probably nothing here you haven’t tried before. Mars itself has already been virtually visited a few times, in fact, such as with Mars Odyssey.

Still, there are some moments of VR awe to be had here. Driving a buggy across the surface of Mars is wonderfully satisfying, making you wish for more of it. Sitting in the cockpit of a spacecraft and pressing the necessary buttons feels like heading back to your childhood to play astronauts for real. Without spoiling anything, the final few moments of gameplay successfully managed to trick my brain into reaching out to grab something I thought was really there.

Final Recommendation: Pass

Ultimately, The Martian VR can’t hide the fact it was meant to be experienced at conventions and booths, not as a premium product in your home. As a free experience, this would be a good chance to jump into the world of one of the best movies from one of the world’s most renowned directors. For $19.99 though, it’s a pretty insulting experiment into how much consumers are willing to pay to be advertised to. The Martian VR is a failure not for its developers, but likely the publishers behind them.

Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

Tagged with: adaptation, ridley scott, sci-fi, The Martian, The Martian VR Experience

November 14, 2016

‘The Martian VR Experience’ Launches on PSVR and HTC Vive Tomorrow

The Fox Innovation Lab are all set to finally release their virtual reality tie-in with last year’s sci-fi blockbuster The Martian starring Matt Damon to a VR headset near you as the title launches tomorrow on both PlayStation VR and SteamVR platforms.

I was lucky enough to go hands-on with The Martian VR Experience at CES at the beginning of the year and came away impressed, entitling the article on the experience “A Triumph in Motion.” At the time, the platforms I trialed it on (HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with Touch) were still months from release and as a result, despite the high level of finish and polish evident in what I saw, Fox Innovation Lab (the VR-focused division at 20th century fox tasked with building the title) have waited until now to launch.

The Martian VR Experience represented at the time the best experience of its kind I’d yet seen, that is, an application that designed as an accompaniment an original film – a good old fashioned movie tie-in. Unlike many other examples of primarily marketing-lead immersive attempts that we’ve seen since VR’s renaissance began, The Martian VR Experience represents an offering that works as standalone entertainment and at the same time, it manages to push expectations of visual fidelity and polish for applications of these types up a notch or two.

Executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Robert Stromberg, The Martian VR Experience is described as “an interactive, immersive adventure with viewers participating from astronaut Mark Watney’s perspective, performing tasks that will facilitate his chances for survival.” Players get to fly through the Mars atmosphere in zero gravity, grapple with Watney’s all-terrain rover, there’s also snippets of the film thrown into the mix to remind you of the original inspiration behind the experience.

“I’ve always tried to approach film-making from the standpoint of creating an immersive experience. Now with the tools that are available to us in virtual reality, we can raise the bar even higher. The audience can experience storytelling in ways we previously could only imagine,” said Ridley Scott, Executive Producer of The Martian VR Experience and co-founder of RSA Films. “Mars has never been closer to being within our grasp and I’m so thrilled that we can invite people into The Martian VR Experience.” Scott himself narrates the new launch video for the experience too, which you can watch embedded above.

Director of The Martian VR Experience and co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Virtual Reality Company said “With The Martian VR Experience, we were able to take Ridley’s cinematic vision and create an immersive VR experience that gives people the ability to be Mark Watney, to face his struggles, experience his successes, as if they were part of the film.”

The Martian VR Experience will be available from November 15th on PlayStation VR and on SteamVR for the HTC Vive. No mention of support for the Oculus Rift, but given the reliance on motion controls it’s likely this will appear later once Oculus Touch has found its way into users homes next month. The experience will be priced at $19.99 on release, which may present a high price for those looking for hours and hours of gameplay in return for their money. We’ll have impressions on the final release version of the experience and on whether we believe it’s worth the cash soon.

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November 14, 2016

Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ Gets A Full VR Experience On Vive, PS VR This Week

Ridley Scott’s 2015 sci-fi blockbuster, The Martian, is considered a return to form for the legendary director. This week, you’ll be able to enter the world of the movie with a new VR experience.

You may have heard of The Martian VR Experience before. Developed at 20th Century Fox’s Fox Innovation Lab along with RSA Films and The Virtual Reality Company, the cinematic piece has been shown at a handful of events throughout the year but, tomorrow, you’ll get to experience it at home on both the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.

This isn’t a simple 360 degree experience like other Fox VR projects such as Wild; it’s a full VR production that uses position-tracked controls. You take on the role of astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon in the movie, and experience key scenes like driving a rover across the surface of the red planet, and flying through space. While it’s not necessarily a VR movie, it might be closer to something like Batman: Arkham VR, as a shorter experiential piece in which you won’t have to worry about failure. It’s built in Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4.

This likely isn’t the first time HTC Vive owners will have visited Mars, and nor will it have been the last. Experiences like Mars Odyssey are already available and others like Mars 2030 are still on the way. We’ll also be seeing more of Ridley Scott’s worlds in VR; the upcoming Blade Runner sequel will have VR tie-in content, as announced back at Oculus Connect 3 last month.

It may be a promotional experience, but Fox certainly thinks it’s worth a price; The Martian VR Experience will cost $19.99. We’ll be interested to see the difference between the Vive and PS VR versions. We’ve also asked after the possibility of an Oculus Rift version, though it would likely arrive once Oculus Touch releases in early December.

Would you pay for an experience like this?

Tagged with: Mars, ridley scott, sci-fi, The Martian VR Experience

October 9, 2016

Blade Runner Sequel to Release October 2017 in VR via Oculus

The long rumoured sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult sci-fi classic Blade Runner is coming soon and it’s coming to virtual reality via Oculus.

There’s a good chance if you’re reading this, you’re pretty familiar with Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. The movie, received somewhat coldly by critics and audiences on its release in 1982, has since become a revered classic of the genre and fans of the film have longed for a sequel ever since.

Now, not only has the follow up been officially confirmed as ‘happening’, the new film, entitled Blade Runner 2049, will show up in October next year and it’s being produced for virtual reality too!

There’s not much detailed information out there right now, but according to Ars Technica, Harrison Ford will reprise his role as gruff ‘Blade Runner’ (special detectives, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating rogue androids known as ‘replicants’) Deckard, with new blood being injected in the shape of Ryan Reynolds. Disappointingly, Ridley Scott will not be at the helm of the new film, with Director Denis Villeneuve – who brought us the incredible thriller Sicario last year – is stepping in to bring the film to life. Further good news is that the original writer (although, Blade Runner geeks will know there’s some contention on that front) Hampton Fancher returns to pen the sequel.

As for the virtual reality aspect, it’s unclear exactly how that will play out. All we know right now is that the film will debut both in theatres and via Oculus’ VR platforms, which may mean both Rift and Samsung Gear VR, and that Oculus will release more details later on.

It’s an interesting move on the part of the filmmakers, and perhaps a risky one too. However, if they were intentionally picking a movie that would appeal to VR enthusiasts around the globe, this is probably one of the better picks.

Feature image courtesy Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros via Ars Technica

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