TopDogVR’s Speed Kills VR Experience Is Now Available

The cinematic virtual reality (VR) episodic experience Speed Kills VR, following its win for the Best Feature Film VR 2018 at Cinequest Film Festival in Silicon Valley, have now released.

Speed Kills VR

Staring John Travolta, Kathleen Winnick, Kellan Lutz, and many other stars, Speed Kills VR Experience is a 360-degree experience that was shot alongside the filming of the upcoming feature film of the same name. The title offers a unique perspective inside the life of a notorious speed boat builder, who at one time made the fastest boasts around which were used by both the US Coast Guard and drug smugglers in the late 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. Speed Kills VR Experience is inspired by a true story that covers the rise and fall of the world champion and multi-millionaire whose life can be witnessed in fully immersive VR.

Created by TopDogVR, the groundbreaking drama is split across eight episodes each running for around seven to nine minutes in length. Each episode explores a different part of the tale include boat racing, mobster beatings, drug running and DEA chasing in full 360-degrees. The action packed experience will give viewers a truly immersive feeling of being a part of the events as they sit right in the heart of the drama.

Speed Kills VR

The award winning VR film is designed to deliver a stunning viewing experience for the rapidly growing audience of VR and 360-degree content. With standalone head-mounted displays (HMDs) continuing to become more widely adopted, TopDogVR hopes to bring more content like Speed Kills VR Experience to viewers in the future and take full advantage of the technology and its limitless possibilities.

Producer and director of the project Travis Cloyd, who also was awarded the VR Visionary of the year award by Cinequest, discussed Speed Kills VR Experience saying: “There are many challenges we face in the world of VR when story telling within this new medium especially when it involves top talent, real events, extreme shots and industry leaders. Luckily we had an amazing team, incredible cast, supportive community and a lot of great people which is what it takes to provide the audience with a new way to absorb impactful stories, but yet not effecting the bottom line.”

Speed Kills VR Experience is available to download today on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Oculus Store. The project’s roll out will culminate with the series being available on platforms including Google DayDream, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Viveport. Speed Kills VR Experience will also be premiering at Marché Du Film Festival Du Cannes May 8-17 in France.

For more on Speed Kills VR Experience in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

 

Nicholas Cage VR Experience, The Gallery & Space Pirate Trainer Among Cinequest Film & VR Award Winners

If you haven’t already gathered from the dramatic upswing in posts on VRFocus about it, virtual reality (VR) is definitely finding a home in amongst the independent film festivals. Last night might have seen the results from this year’s Academy Awards (aka The Oscars), but this weekend also saw the results from another award ceremony settled. Not in Tinseltown but care of Silicon Valley based organisation Cinequest. They’re midway through this year’s event which runs until Sunday March 11th, but they have already passed judgement on the most recent edition of the Cinequest Film & VR Festival’s awards for the medium of immersive entertainment.

As you might surmise from that it isn’t just films, documentaries and so forth that are celebrated as part of the awards. But all manner of creative media that uses virtual reality (VR) technology as well as the people involved in it. Some familiar names cropped up this year in the twenty award categories that recognised “achievement in storytelling, technical artistry and immersive design”.

A full list of winners has now been published and you can read these below:

Best VR Film, Feature
Speed Kills VR Experience
Starring Maverick Spirit Award recipient John Travolta and Katheryn Winnick, speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire Ben Aronoff (Travolta) leads a double life that lands him in trouble with both the law and drug lords. Directed by Travis Cloyd. Produced by Travis Cloyd, Guy Griffithe, Richard Del Castro and TopDogVR.

Best VR Sci-Fi
The Humanity Bureau VRevolution
Starring Nicolas Cage, this dystopian thriller set in the near future sees the world facing serious environmental problems as the result of global warming. The standalone episodic virtual reality series released on March 2nd, followed by the theatrical film release of the sci-fi action-thriller, The Humanity Bureau on April 6th. The Humanity Bureau VRevolution was directed by Rob W. King and Josh Courtney. Produced by Travis Cloyd. Josh Courtney, Kevin DeWalt and Rob Bryanton. Written by Dave Schultz and Travis Cloyd.  The experience is a Mind’s Eye Entertainment Presentation. Distributed by OneTouchVR.

The Humanity Bureau / Nicolas CageBest Cinematography
Boxes (Directed by Matt Naylor)
James is tasked with clearing out the last boxes from his childhood home after his father’s death, but memories are recalled in painful vignettes in this empowering story.

Best Documentary
Revoked (Directed by Stevo Chang)
In an American future, when the President revokes the green card of Iranian-born Jane Manesh, she must flee to Canada with the help of her childhood friend.

Best Social Activism
Behind the Fence (Directed by Lindsay Branham & Jonathan Olinger)
The Rohingya Muslims must survive a Government led campaign to eliminate them.

Best Educational VR
Meeting Rembrandt: Master of Reality (Directed by Bridget Erdmann & Ingejan Ligthart Schenk)
What if you had the chance to meet the famous 17th century master painter? Get close up and personal as he changes history forever with his controversial painting, the Night Watch in this immersive experience.

Best Short VR Film
Best Storytelling
La Camila (Directed by Jak Wilmot)
When the storms of nature threaten her very existence, a young shepherd girl, Camila, struggles to fill her papa’s shoes and create new clouds for the dying world below.

Best Action VR
Space Pirate Trainer (Directed by Dirk Van Welden, I-Illusions)
Hone your offensive and defensive battle skills with awesome space age weaponry against an ever-increasing barrage of killer fighting drones.

Best Episodic VR Game
The Gallery – Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone
After receiving your Gauntlet, you must travel to a long-forgotten world where the past holds many secrets and reveal the true intentions of the dark figure in the Starseed.

The Gallery Heart of the Emberstone screenshot 4

Best Music Video
Apex (Directed by John Albert, Wevr)
A surreal, apocalyptic vision set to an original score from artist and musician Arjan van Meerten.

Best Animation VR
Best Production Design / Art Direction
Allumette (Directed by Eugene Chung, Penrose Studios)
Allumette tells a story about love, sacrifice and a deep bond between a young girl and her mother in a fantastical city in the clouds.

Allumette
Best Sports VR
To the Top (Directed by Richard Matey, Electric Hat VR)
A platforming game that gives you the freedom to move across the environment’s obstacles with superhuman abilities.

Best VR Experience
Best Sound Design
FORM (Directed by Richard Matey, Electric Hat VR)
FORM is a puzzle adventure, mixing classic gameplay inspired by Myst and The Room, with surreal and spectacular visuals akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Best VR Game
Karnage Chronicles (Directed by Thorbjoern Olsen, Nordic Trolls)
A high fantasy RPG where you play a Murkwraith on a mission to defeat enemies of the lands and restore order to shape your future.

Best VR Interactive
Manifest 99 (Directed by Bohdon Sayre, Adam Volker, Flight School Studio)
Journey into the afterlife aboard a mysterious train inhabited by a murder of crows in this ominous and eerie experience.

Manifest99 header

Most Innovative VR
Gary the Gull (Directed by Tom Sanocki, Limitless Entertainment Ltd.)
Developed by veterans from Pixar, Gary the Gull is VR Animated Interactive short film that puts you in the story. Respond to Gary’s questions by nodding, shaking your head, talking, and see how your decisions affect the story’s telling.

VR Visionary Award
Travis Cloyd
Fusing his expertise in both film and VR, Cloyd has served as cinematic VR producer for four feature films. Working with world-renowned talent like Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and Wesley Snipes, Cloyd continually bridges the gap between Hollywood and immersive storytelling, a connector and conduit between the fields of film and tech.

VRFocus will be bringing you more updates throughout the year as immersive technology continues to help creativity flourish.

Cinequest Film & VR Festival Set to Feature 29 VR Experiences

Later this month Cinequest will roll out its annual film and virtual reality (VR) festival which is now in its 28th year. The 2018 event, based in San Jose and Redwood City, California, is set to be bigger and better than ever when it comes to immersive experiences, with 29 pieces of VR content on show.

The Humanity Bureau / Nicolas Cage

From 27th February through 11th March 2018, the festival’s 28th season has programmed 13 days of screenings and premieres, inspiring experiences with trailblazers in film and VR, and awards presentations with icons in entertainment. The actual VR segment of the festival runs from 1st – 4th March. The content will range from films and videogames, to augmented reality (AR) experiences and more, covering a swath of the immersive industry.

In the Cinequest VR Experience Lounge, experts in the field will lead interactive workshops. In recognition of his work in VR entertainment, Travis Cloyd will be honoured with this year’s VR Visionary Award. In addition to accepting this VR honour, Cloyd will present three VR experiences at the festival: the world premiere of The Humanity Bureau VRevolution, starring Maverick Spirit Award honoree, Nicolas Cage; Speed Kills VR Experience starring John Travolta; and The Recall VR, starring Wesley Snipes.

The Recall VR Abduction Starring Wesley Snipes

“We’ve seen the power of film to not only delight and entertain, but spark awareness, create connections and galvanize communities,” said Halfdan Hussey, co-founder of Cinequest in a statement. “Our theme for this year’s festival is ‘Impact’, reflected by the exceptional films, VR,  and interactions with the torchbearers in entertainment and technology–programmed to give our audience a venue for engagement and empowerment. We’re proud to spotlight the work of internationally celebrated and emerging artists, representing a spectrum of genres, genders, ethnicities, orientations, ages and perspectives, and to enable these creators to connect with audiences in the vibrant and cosmopolitan Silicon Valley – the world’s leader in innovation.”

For those interested in going to the festival passes come in three varieties: Film Lover, Mavericks and Cinequest All Access, priced at $165 USD, $299 and $500 respectively. While each will offer varying access to the event, if you want to see any of the VR related programmes or workshops you’ll need the All Access pass. For any further updates on the festival, keep reading VRFocus.

Speed Kills VR Experience Starring John Travolta Announced by TopDogVR

It seems as though you can’t have a big budget film nowadays without a virtual reality (VR) experience thrown in for good measure to promote it. TopDogVR, a studio that specialises in VR film experiences has announced that upcoming John Travolta flick Speed Kills will be getting its own VR content, and not just one short experience but eight episodes.

The Speed Kills VR Experience will be a hour long in total, featuring cast members Travolta, Katheryn Winnick, Kellan Lutz, Tom Sizemore, Jordi Mollà, Jennifer Esposito, Matthew Modine, James Remar, Michael Weston, and Amaury Nolasco.

SpeedKills E5

The film’s story revolves around a legendary speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire who happens to lead a double life as a drug runner. Talking about the VR experience Lutz, who plays racing champion Robbie Reemer said in a statement: “VR is the future for entertainment and this was my first time filming VR for a film and it was remarkable! It’s definitely different than filming a standard format feature; less time, smaller crew, and really innovative technology.” 

“This will set the bar for celebrity-driven cinematic virtual reality,” said VR director Travis Cloyd in a statement. “Our goal is not only to drive an audience to go see the feature film, but also give them a unique experience as if they were side-by-side with these icons. How often can you stand next to a legend going 60 mph in a speedboat? Thanks to VR, this is finally a possibility, and we are excited to be crafting compelling, action-packed content for this medium.”

The Speed Kills VR Experience will support headsets and platforms including iOS, Android, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream when it launches next year as a free app. Speed Kills is set to premiere in Spring 2018.

For the latest film-based VR experiences, keep reading VRFocus.