RYOT – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 16, 2020

VR Fashion Show The Fabric of Reality Steps Onto the Catwalk This Month

The online world of digital events is getting more exciting as the year progresses, from the likes of Sansar’s Lost Horizon festival to Cannes XR Virtual. The latter was held in the Museum of Other Realities (MOR) and at the end of the month it’ll begin hosting another unique event, a fashion exhibition called The Fabric of Reality.

Created by RYOT in partnership with Kaleidoscope, MOR and the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) at London College of Fashion, the exhibition will be a year-long event hosted within HTC Vive’s MOR virtual environment.

The showcase will feature work from three up and coming designers – Damara, Sabinna and Charli Cohen – who have partnered with VR artists to create a conceptual catwalk experience with guests able to step into an exhibition room featuring the designers’ sculptural garments. There will also be three portals representing each project’s ‘Storyworld’ – a mini-universe ‘expressing the emotional reality of the Sculptural Garment’.

“Interactive, immersive digital experiences are the future of live events – whether to augment analogue experiences or pure-play digital events. Designers and creators want to tell a story with their creations and a virtual world like the one we are bringing to life with the Museum of Other Realities allows them to tell so much more of the story behind their designs,” said Mark Melling, Head of EMEA at RYOT in a statement.

“Never before has it been more important to highlight the opportunities to showcase creativity through virtual events. As 5G allows almost instant, real-time digital interactions, as well as smaller device form-factors like AR/VR glasses that don’t need computers inside them, XR experiences will grow exponentially, Melling continued. “We hope that The Fabric of Reality will open up a world of possibilities for the future of fashion and other live events, along with bringing inspiration and enjoyment to fashion lovers all around the world.”

The Fabric of Reality is part of Verizon Media’s XR programme, Verizon Media Immersive, with the event launching on 29th July 2020 at 18:30 BST. The Museum of Other Realities app supports a range of headsets, downloadable from Steam, Viveport, or Oculus stores. For further updates on the exhibition, keep reading VRFocus.

July 18, 2019

TIME Immersive VR/AR Mobile App Launches by Landing on the Moon

One of the most famous print magazines in the world, TIME, has launched a new way to consume is journalism, augmented reality (AR). Today, TIME Immersive has been launched for iOS devices, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing the app brings that iconic moment into your living room.

Time Immersive

Landing on the Moon is the first piece of content to feature on the app, produced in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and sponsored by Jimmy Dean. The 3D assets are thanks to 20 years of research and artistry by John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer of Industrial Light & Magic, with the spatial sound design by Erik Lohr, RYOT’s head of audio, and a voice-over by TIME’s Jeffrey Kluger.

“With Landing on the Moon, TIME is building on its decades of trusted and authoritative space reporting to tell this story in a brand new way, just as we have done in previous projects such as our Emmy Award-winning documentary A Year in Space,” said Edward Felsenthal TIME Editor in Chief and CEO in a statement.

Currently only available for iOS devices, TIME Immersive will be coming to Android soon. If you don’t own an Apple AR compatible device and want to check out Landing on the Moon the mobile web AR experience, both of which are the work of Trigger.

Time Immersive

“TIME has always been at the forefront of visual storytelling. With the launch of this app and our first web AR experience, we are putting a stake in the ground with AR and establishing the level of immersive journalism that TIME will continue to bring to our readers,” adds Mia Tramz, Emmy-winning VR producer and editorial director of Enterprise and Immersive Experiences at TIME.

TIME has previously announced two major immersive projects it preparing to release, The March and Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. The former will allow viewers to experience the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, while Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is an immersive documentary series filmed in and around the International Space Station, created in conjunction with Felix & Paul Studios.

As TIME releases further immersive content, VRFocus will let you know.

January 25, 2019

Colin Farrell Narrates VR Series ‘Gloomy Eyes’, Debuting at Sundance 2019

Colin Farrell (The Lobster, In Bruges) is lending his voice to a new three-part VR animated series called Gloomy Eyes, the first installment of which is making its premier at Sundance Film Festival 2019, Variety reports.

Farrell is narrating all three episodes of the VR series, which was co-directed by 3dar’s Jorge Tereso and Fernando Maldonado, the creators behind animated short Shave It (2012).

Here’s a synopsis of Gloomy Eyes:

1983. Woodland City has been plunged into a perpetual night for ten years now due the experiments of a mysterious priest. This man’s madness engendered to Gloomy, a half-human, half-zombie child who lives away from everyone else in the forest. How do you find your place when you’re not entirely dead, nor entirely alive, and when, in spite of your better instincts, you can’t manage to control your need for human flesh?

“Anything that invokes a sense of magic and total immersion is worth gold, and it was amazing to be a part of the vision Fernando and Jorge created in Gloomy Eyes,” Farrell told Variety. “It’s a completely transportive and beautiful experience, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and really connected with my passion of storytelling.”

“The world we imagined in Gloomy Eyes shows the darkest side of humanity. But we balance it with the hope that two little kids bring in their eyes. To love what’s different will bring harmony once again,” Tereso and Maldonado said.

Gloomy Eyes was produced by 3dar and France’s Atlas V, and co-produced by Ryot, ARTE France and HTC Vive, with the support of the CNC, Unity and Rhône Alpes.

This year’s Sundance Film Festival takes place January 24th – February 3rd. Like many VR experiences and films premiering there, Gloomy Eyes is presenting at the festival’s New Frontier section, which highlights new media and storytelling styles.

The post Colin Farrell Narrates VR Series ‘Gloomy Eyes’, Debuting at Sundance 2019 appeared first on Road to VR.

January 19, 2019

RYOT to Debut 3 XR projects at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival

Next week sees the start of the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, bringing filmmakers together from across the globe for the industry’s first big event of the year. As VRFocus has seen over the previous few years, there’s been a growing contingent of immersive films appearing thanks to initiatives like the New Frontiers exhibition. Recently, award-winning content studio RYOT has revealed its slate of XR projects debuting during the festival.

Premiering as part of the festival’s New Frontier programme will be Gloomy Eyes, A Jester’s Tale and The Dial.

Gloomy Eyes – “The animated virtual reality series Gloomy Eyes, directed by Jorge Tereso and Fernando Maldonado, chronicles a remote town where being a zombie is against the law. Like all of his kind, young Gloomy is hiding in the forest, away from bounty hunters. But Gloomy is different. While bitterness plagues the city, he strives to find a balance in his mysterious dual nature.”
A Jester’s Tale – “Experience the viscerality of a psychologically taxing children’s fable merging with the physicality of our world as you come home cold and tired, just in time for a bedtime story. In this interactive augmented reality narrative, directed by Asad J. Malik, the characters are just hollow meshes, but maybe so are you.”
The Dial – “The Dial, an interactive narrative that combines augmented reality and projection mapping, is centred around a woman who smashes through the stone wall outside her family home. This visual tale unravels the formerly wealthy family’s emotional underbelly and what happened that fateful night, as seen from shifting perspectives where you control time by moving your body.

All three films have been created with help from Unity, with the software company also sponsoring the Sundance Film Festival. “Unity doesn’t exist to create games or other commercial content. We exist to provide creators with the best real-time platform to achieve their artistic vision,” said Isabelle Riva, Head of Made with Unity, Unity Technologies in a statement. “Just last year, ‘SPHERES,’ a project created using Unity, was acquired at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival for seven figures – a critical moment for immersive films and validation that Unity is enabling unprecedented success for creators pushing the boundaries of what is possible in entertainment.”

The Sundance Film Festival will begin on Thursday, 24th January and run through to Sunday 3rd February 2019. For further updates on immersive media at the event, keep reading VRFocus.

October 18, 2018

RYOT, Kaleidoscope and Oculus Announces DevLab 2018

Several prominent companies in the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industry, including immersive media company RYOT, VR platform Kaleidoscope and Oculus have teamed up to product DevLab 2018, an incubator for VR and AR artists and creators that has previously produced cutting-edge immersive content.

The first DevLab program took place in 2016, and the 2018 will be the second time the event will take place, which is intended to bring together emerging VR and AR artists to explore new ideas and cultivate new work in the immersive space.

Ten participants will be selected to work alongside advisors from various backgrounds, including architecture, videogame design, immersive theatre, magic and storytelling. Participants will be able to take advantages of hands-on workshops, live performances and round-table discussions.

Creators who take part in the DevLab will be able to use the resources and education provided to develop a working version of their project, which will subsequently be presented to 250 industry leaders at a ‘first look’ event in 2019.

“DevLab is a unique way to support independent artists, and we’re proud to support and provide mentorship opportunities for the next generation of content creators as they refine their craft, and use their art to change the world,” said Bryn Mooser, CEO and co-founder of RYOT.

“DevLab has provided an essential creative playground for the new guard of storytellers to ideate and explore,” says Jake Sally, RYOT’s Sr. Director of Immersive Development. “RYOT is excited to partner with Kaleidoscope and Oculus, pillars of the XR ecosystem, to support DevLab.”

“Members of the DevLab program include some of the most promising, sought-after talent in the industry,” said René Pinnell, CEO and Founder of Kaleidoscope. “DevLab artists are risk-takers that will ultimately move the industry forward.”

Further information, including instruction on how to apply to DevLab 2018 can be found on the Kaleidoscope website. Further coverage on DevLab 2018 will be here on VRFocus.

October 4, 2018

Journey to the Moon With the First Man VR Experience

You’ve been to Mars thanks to movie tie-in The Martian: VR Experience so it makes sense that a film about the moon might get a virtual reality (VR) addition as well. Ryan Gosling’s latest feature First Man is due to hit cinemas next week, and for US fans certain AMC cinema’s the First Man: VR Experience to lucky guests.

First Man

Following the story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight, First Man sees Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for this visceral account based on the book by James R. Hansen.

Guests attending AMC Theatre lobbies in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Washington, D.C. will find the First Man: VR Experience. Created by RYOT and CreateVR in collaboration with Universal Pictures, the VR experience uses the full motion Positron Voyager chair which has been specifically designed for cinematic VR.

The experience works as follows:

You begin our journey in NASA’s Mission Control, where you can explore and see exclusive video of First Man, including interviews with Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle (La La Land), and stars Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy about the courage and daring of the Apollo 11 mission.
You are then placed in Armstrong’s shoes — and in his seat — inside the Apollo 11 Command Module, seconds before launch. The interior of the spacecraft is historically accurate and finely detailed in the placement and appearance of every switch, knob, dial and window.
You feel the immense, barely contained power of the Saturn V rocket as it lifts you out of Earth’s orbit and into zero-gravity.
Then, you will arrive at Day 4 of the mission, in lunar orbit, and will begin the descent to the surface of the moon.
You will pilot the Lunar Module, The Eagle, next to fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll), as you experience, firsthand, Armstrong’s grit, determination and nerves of steel as you land safely on the lunar surface. Both the Earth and the moon are built to scale, so the veracity and authenticity of the experience is as close to reality as possible.

“The First Man: VR Experience has been specially designed and customized for Voyager,” says Positron CEO Jeffrey Travis. “The unique motion and haptics in the chair, combined with a true volumetric environment, recreates an unmatched, spine-tingling experience of journeying inside the Apollo 11 from take-off to the first lunar landing. In addition, First Man is the first VR experience for Voyager that brings 6DOF (6 degrees of freedom) and interactivity to the Voyager platform. We can’t wait for audiences to experience this new level of immersion, and we are proud to partner with Universal on this historic project.”

For further updates on First Man: VR Experience, keep reading VRFocus.

WHERE:	Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood, Los Angeles
	AMC Metreon 16, San Francisco
	AMC Georgetown 14, Washington, D.C.
	AMC Lincoln Square, New York City

WHEN:	Friday, October 5 – Sunday, October 14 in LA, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.
	Saturday, October 6 – Sunday, October 14 in New York City

September 14, 2018

RYOT Announces Opening of Innovative Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles

RYOT is a noted immersive media company and visual effects studio which has announced that it is working with Verizon to launch a new innovative entertainment studio which will be engaging in development of new content creation which leverages Verizon’s new 5G technology.

The new studio builds on the previous success of the 5G lab in New York City, and forms part of Verizon’s expansion of its 5G labs program. The studio will be involved in post-production, graphics, audio and finishing along with developing applications and effects fr virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).

The new studio will be located at Verizon’s Playa Vista California campus and is scheduled to open in Autumn of 2018. The studio space will host state-of-the-art motion capture solutions, including Vicon and Cubic Motion which will be utilised for a range of applications, including traditionl film, CGI effects, VR, AR and MR as well as scientific research.

The RYOT Verizon Los Angeles Lab will be focussing specifically on immersive experiences such as AR and holograms, experiementing with cutting-edge formats that will be able to take advantage of the high speeds offered by 5G as well as the low latency the technology is capable of. The studio will be engaged in pushing 5G and seeing what can be down to allow audiences to immerse themselves in entertainment experiences.

“RYOT’s cutting-edge Innovation Studio will revolutionize the way content is created and lead the way on future formats, including Verizon’s 5G technology, immersing audiences and allowing them to experience entertainment in a completely new way,” said Bryn Mooser, Founder and CEO at RYOT. “We couldn’t be more excited to offer innovators the technology that will transform the future of entertainment.”

Further information on RYOT and its new studio can be found on the RYOT website. For future coverage of new developments in the VR industry, keep checking back with VRFocus.

April 29, 2018

The VR Job Hub: End Of April Opportunities

The final weekend of April is here and the skies are grey. Why not beat the weather and have a look at some of the new opportunities awaiting within the immersive media industries and find yourself a new, exciting job. As always, VRFocus are here to help you out with another entry of The VR Job Hub.

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

Location	Company	Role	Link
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	AI/Gameplay Programmer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Social Media Manager	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Network Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Singapore, SG	Thomson Reuters	Senior User Experience (UX) Designer	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA, US	RYOT	Android Developer (Augmented Reality)	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA, US	RYOT	Senior Unity Developer (Augmented Reality)	Click Here to Apply
Seattle, WA, US	Facebook	Communications Manager, AR/VR Games	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Facebook	Product Designer, Social VR	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Apple	GPU Framework Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, US	PGA TOUR	Virtual Reality (VR) Producer	Click Here to Apply
Oxfordshire, UK	Computer Futures	VR Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Tokyo, Japan	Telexistence Inc	VR/Robotics Software engineer	Click Here to Apply
Menlo Park, CA, US	Oculus	Global Retail Business Analyst	Click Here to Apply
Menlo Park, CA, US	Oculus	Head of Global Sales AR/VR	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA, US	Oculus	3D Artist	Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

As always, 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 myself at keva@vrfocus.com and also pgraham@vrfocus.com.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (GMT) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.

April 22, 2018

The VR Job Hub: Facebook, Oculus, RYOT And Even Apple Are Hiring

The weekend is here, the sun is out and it is a great time to see what new opportunities await within the immersive media industries and find that dream job. As always, VRFocus are here to help you out with another entry of The VR Job Hub.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	AI/Gameplay Programmer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Social Media Manager	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX, US	Phaser Lock Interactive	Network Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Singapore, SG	Thomson Reuters	Senior User Experience (UX) Designer	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA, US	RYOT	Android Developer (Augmented Reality)	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA, US	RYOT	Senior Unity Developer (Augmented Reality)	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Dream Reality Interactive	Producer	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Facebook	Product Designer, Social VR	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Apple	GPU Framework Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA, US	Oculus	Technical Artist – Experiences (AR)	Click Here to Apply
Menlo Park, CA, US	Oculus	Product Design Specialist	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA, US	Oculus	Technical Artist – Research (VR)	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA, US	Oculus	3D Artist	Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (GMT) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.

April 18, 2018

Room-scale VR Experience VESTIGE Gets Purchased Even Before Tribeca Premiere

At the beginning of February, shortly after the Sundance Film Festival took place, we brought you news that ZIKR: A Sufi Revival – which VRFocus reported on several times throughout the first couple of months of 2018 – had been purchased by documentary producer, sales agent and theatrical distributor Dogwoof. Now one of the individual’s behind Dogwoof has secured another deal for an immersive documentary.

Tribeca Film Festival - Header

The project in question is VESTIGE, a 10-minute-long room-scale VR documentary that take the user into the world of the character Lisa as she reminisces, trapped in memory as she recalls her former partner Erik who has died. Every viewing of VESTIGE takes a slightly different path as Lisa remembers different fragments of their life together, recalling details that unlock yet more memories as she continues down the path to ultimately recalling what led to Erik’s passing.

The purchase is made by UK-based VR distributor and sales agent Other Set, which specialises in director-driven virtual reality (VR) or immersive content from around the world and is also the latest venture of Dogwoof’s Andy Whittaker. VESTIGE is set for a Spring 2019 release and will be available for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Microsoft’s line of Mixed Reality headsets. Coming to PC related platforms like Steam and also Viveport. The purchase is made before the planned world premiere of the project at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

“VESTIGE allows the viewer to experience the healing that can be discovered on the other side of grief and loss. The experience showcases the unique power of the VR medium to connect audiences to Lisa’s very human story on a visceral, emotional level.” Whittaker said, in relation to the purchase.

“As a newly formed company, we’re working to re-focus VR storytelling towards a sustainable indie film production model.” Added Producer of the experience and co-founder of AtlasV Antoine Cayrol, who VRFocus interviewed earlier this year. “With the support of Other Set and our joint mission to share outstanding content we’re thrilled to be able to dive further into the future of distribution and bring the powerful story that is VESTIGE to a wider audience.”

AtlasV are not the only production company to be involved in the creation of the project. It also involved NSC Creative, RYOT, the French CNC and Kaleidoscope which helped to fund its creation

“Our studio has been creating immersive experiences across the globe for 18 years but this is our first room-scale VR piece.” Said NSC Creative’s Paul Mowbray. “VESTIGE is really pushing the limits of what can be done with volumetric capture and multi-narrative storytelling right now. Aaron [Bradbury, the Producer]’s success as a leading VR Creator comes from a deep technical knowledge across multiple disciplines combined with a passion to connect with the audience in a profoundly emotional way.”

VRFocus will bring you more news from the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival as we get it.