Category: Sol Rogers

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REWIND CEO to Chair BAFTA’s new Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group

British creative agency REWIND has created some notable virtual reality (VR) experiences over the past few years, including Ghost in the Shell VR Experience and Silicon Valley: Inside the Hacker Hostel. Today, BAFTA has announced the appointment of REWIND’s CEO and Founder, Sol Rogers as chair of the new Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group.

The Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group will take over the work done by BAFTA’s previous commitee, the Virtual Reality Advisory Group, with 15 individuals representing both the technology and creative sectors delivering recommendations to BAFTA over the next twelve months.

In a statement about the appointment Sol Rogers said: “Last year we built a great foundation together; this year I’m honoured to be taking the reins and steering BAFTA’s new Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group to continue to make an important and positive impact on our burgeoning industry. The focus will be on educating and supporting BAFTA and its members on all things immersive. While the core team will be smaller than before, there will be plenty of opportunities for those interested and involved currently in BAFTA film, games, and TV to participate in larger consultations throughout the year.”

The group’s mission is to explore the impact that VR, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and beyond will have on the current landscape of the film, videogame, and television industries, assess the impact of immersive entertainment and the best ways for BAFTA to facilitate learning experiences. Additionally, the Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group will also engage with the VR/AR and MR communities during its research by hosting events and inviting information and feedback.

BAFTA’s Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group is comprised of:

  • Chair – Solomon Rogers – Founder and CEO, REWIND

  • Deputy – Dave Ranyard – Founder and CEO, Dream Reality Interactive

  • Alice Taylor – Director, StudioLab, Walt Disney Studios

  • Annie Robinson – Head of Content and Creator Relations, Magic Leap

  • Duncan Burbidge – VP Global Operations, The Third Floor

  • Julia Hamilton Trost – Head of Business Development & Content Partnerships, Google VR/AR

  • Mária Rakušanová – Director of VR, AR and New Media, Raindance Film Festival. Microsoft Mixed Reality

  • Neil Graham – Executive Producer, Sky VR & Sky Cinema

  • Nick Rooke – Director of Developer Relations, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe

  • Paul Brown – GM, Vive Europe

  • Ted Schilowitz – Futurist In Residence, Paramount

  • Tom Burton – Head of Interactive and VR, BBC

  • Vicki Dobbs Beck – Executive in Charge, ILMxLab

  • Yelena Rachitsky – Executive Producer for Experiences, Oculus

For any further updates from BAFTA on its VR/AR and MR plans, keep reading VRFocus.

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360° Video: The Future Of Content Marketing

The landscape of content marketing has changed significantly over the years. In today’s fast-paced world, video provides the flexibility and relevance that on-the-go consumers want; 360° video has taken this to a whole new level.

360° video has the potential to relay much more powerful advertising messages than linear communication which uses text, still images, and traditional video. With 360° content, consumers take the messages to heart in deeper and more long lasting ways.

“Access to VR experiences is surging. It’s getting easier to try it out, driven in large part by both VR180 and 360 formats. It’s a gateway to larger experiences.” Explained to Abigail Posner, Head of Strategy for The Zoo at Google. “People try this flavor, dive into new worlds, pique their senses, and then want to try more and more complex kinds of immersive experiences. So brands need to start playing around with the unique VR story framework, blaze new trails and truly show what they’re about to their users. It’s a new way to make a deep impression about what the brand stand for.”

Brands have a revolutionary new format to use, but does it actually drive more engagement than standard video advertising? Or is it just a passing fad that will soon make its way into the technology graveyard?

360° Advertising Is More Effective

 With most people encountering a barrage of advertising on a daily basis, it’s getting harder and harder for brands to cut through the noise. Initial experiments with 360° video have demonstrated that this format might be exactly what brands need to push through. Hong Kong Airlines found its 360° ad was 35 times more effective than the equivalent traditional ad. James Hill, a commercial director at video advert marketplace Teads, found click through rates for 360° commercials were double what they were for standard video. The adding layer of interactivity that 360° video provides is engaging and for some, there is still a novelty factor in play.

A 360° trailer for the movie Fifty Shades Darker performed ten times better than a static control advert, with viewers staying in the virtual ballroom experience for an average of two minutes. Broadway musical School of Rock launched a 360° video to promote ticket sales during the Christmas season, and it was viewed 1 million times in just three days. Thanks to this, traffic to the show’s ticketing website increased by an impressive 160%, while traffic to the show’s website increased by 550%.

Google recently conducted an in-depth study into the differences between 360° advertising and its standard video counterpart. They found that 360° advertising didn’t manage to increase an advert’s viewership, but that those who did watch were more likely to click through to see a longer version of the video. They were also more likely to share it, subscribe to the channel and view other videos by the brand. This increased level of engagement can be traced back to interactivity – viewers know a 360° video will be a better experience for them, so they stick around for longer, as they enjoy being able to control what they see. It’s no surprise that these factors lead to tangible results.

360° Advertising Can Be More Practical

In September, John Lewis became the first UK brand to advertise a homeware collection in 360 degrees on Facebook. The advert gave viewers the chance to view goods from all angles, attempting to recreating the shopping experience at home. Hilton achieved similar results when they created a 360° advertisement for a Barbados holiday, taking users closer to the destination than any brochure ever could.

The implications for 360° advertising in the travel sector are clear, particularly given its ability to transport users to locations before they actually visit it. However, there’s another even more important reason brands are making use of 360° advertising for their businesses.

John Lewis Busters Garden_1360° Advertising Positions Brands As Industry Leaders

While 360° video technology is still relatively new in the advertising space, it is important for brands with one eye on the future to get involved. Marriott was hailed as a “forward-looking and relevant brand within the travel market” after its 360° advertising campaign was launched. It is essential for any brand that wants to be seen as creative and innovative to appear as such in its advertising, as well as its products.

360° advertising can also help companies outdo their competitors in revenue. With digital ad revenue outpacing traditional ad revenue, 360° advertising will become more commonplace soon and its value will become stronger, for viewers and brands alike.

With numerous examples of how 360° video can help drive engagement, increase shareability, and position brands as industry leaders, I don’t think it’s going anywhere soon. In fact, this is just the beginning.

You can read Sol’s previous piece for VRFocus about AR’s position versus VR in 2017 here.

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VR World Congress 2017: “BAFTA VR: Is VR a legitimate new type of entertainment?” Liveblog

VRFocus returns to Bristol for our final day of coverage from this year’s VR World Congress (VRWC), from which we’ll have a number of items that we will share with you in the days and weeks to come. For now though we once again bring you details from the event in the form of a liveblog brought to you by VRFocus writer Peter Graham.

First up today is Sol Rogers, CEO and Founder of REWIND, James Knight of AMD, Mark Burvill of Aardman, Jon Wadelton of The Foundry and Bradley Crooks of BBC Worldwide in a panel.

“This panel of BAFTA VR Advisory Group Executives and leaders in the VR industry will discuss whether VR is just an add-on to the TV, film and games industries; or a stand-alone medium, deserving of its own ecosystem, rules and regulations.”

Your liveblogger for the event is Peter Graham.



Join us throughout the day on VRFocus for more for more liveblogs and stories from VRWC and, of course, the world at large,

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Liveblog: VR World Congress 2017 – “Ghost In The Shell VR – A Deep Dive”

VRFocus is back for our second day at this year’s VR World Congress (VRWC), set to be another packed conference with over 2000 attendees from across the globe representing all fields of virtual reality (VR) and its related industries to Bristol in the UK. Crammed full of talks, experience, software and hardware. With representatives from Microsoft, Leap Motion, IBM, AMD, the Royal Opera House, Samsung, Ultrahaptics, Oculus Story Studio, the BBC and many more in attendance.

VRFocus will be bringing you content throughout today. Next up is Sol Rogers, CEO and Founder of REWIND, who’ll be speaking on a recent project: “Sol Rogers, REWIND’s CEO & Founder gives a behind the scenes insight into the studio’s latest project – a real-time virtual reality experience for the release of ‘Ghost in the Shell’. The project is a partnership between HERE BE DRAGONS, REWIND, Paramount, Dreamworks, and Oculus. Built from the ground up with Unreal Engine 4 and Unity game engines, the experience brings the audience inside the sci-fi classic.”

Your liveblogger for the event is Peter Graham.


Join us throughout the day on VRFocus for more for more liveblogs and stories from VRWC and, of course, the world at large,