Step to the Line – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

August 15, 2017

360-Grad-Dokumentation „Step to the Line“ für HTC Vive und PSVR verfügbar

Wie es sich anfühlt, in einem US-Gefängnis zu leben, will die Dokumentation Step to the Line nachvollziehbar machen. Die Dokumentation entstand unter der Oculus-Initiative VR for Good. Nach Veröffentlichung für die Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR und als Video auf Facebook, können nun auch Besitzer einer HTC Vive und PlayStation VR (PSVR) das 360-Grad-Video erleben.

Step to the Line: Gefängnisaufenthalt in 360 Grad

Im April diesen Jahres stellte der Facebook– und Oculus-Eigentümer Mark Zuckerberg das Projekt auf seine Timeline vor. Step to the Line ist Teil des 2016 gestarteten Programms VR for Good, bei der zehn Filmemacher mit zehn gemeinnützigen Organisationen zusammenarbeiteten. Ein Mentor übernimmt für jeweils ein Projekt die Schirmherrschafft, Facebook stellt die Produktionsmittel zur Verfügung. Neun Videos sind bis heute erschienen, das letzte der ersten Runde will Oculus in Kürze veröffentlichen. Mitte Mai endete die Bewerbungsfrist für die Produktionen in diesem Jahr. Die jeweils drei bis fünf Minuten langen 360-Grad-Videos behandeln beispielsweise das Leben in Armut in Nigeria und den Versuch, über eine Spargruppe den Weg aus ihr zu finden. In Use Your Imagination erlebt man ein VR-Musical von autistischen Künstlern.

Step of the Line thematisiert den Aufenthalt in einem US-Gefängnis und lässt erahnen, wie sich Inhaftierung und Entlassung anfühlen. Die Vorstellung des Videos von Mark Zuckerberg auf Facebook erreichte 1,6 Millionen Aufrufe. In seinem Post betont Zuckerberg, dass einer der wichtigsten Nebeneffekte von VR die Förderung von Empathie sei. Im Rahmen einer „Reise-Challenge“ traf der Facebook-Chef einen Todeskandidaten, der nach 30 Jahren aus der Haft entlassen wurde. Zuckerberg beschreibt diese Erfahrung als eine der Eindrücklichsten auf der ganzen Reise. VR könne das echte Treffen zwar nicht ersetzen, aber ziemlich nah an das echte Erlebnis heranreichen. Mit der Veröffentlichung des Videos für HTC Vive und PSVR kann Step of the Line jetzt noch mehr Menschen erreichen, was sicher im Sinne des Projektes sein dürfte.

(Quelle: VRFocus)

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August 14, 2017

US Prison System Documentary ‘Step to the Line’ Released on Within

In April, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Step to the Line, a 360-degree documentary taking an in depth look at the American penal system. Created as part of Oculus’ Creators Lab, the film exclusively released for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. Within has bought the distribution rights, so now the documentary can be found through its app.

That means alongside Oculus Rift and Gear VR, HTC Vive owners can watch Step to the Line, downloading the app through Steam or Viveport, as well as PlayStation VR owners.

Step to the line_1

Shot on location at a maximum security prison, Step to the Line is an immersive experience that showcases the realities of the prison system in the US Directed by Ricardo Laganaro and made with Defy Ventures, a nonprofit dedicated to the entrepreneurship and employment of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, Step to the Line aims to capture the reality of what it’s like to be locked up.

Describing the documentary Laganaro said in a Medium posting: “The first time I entered Solano State Prison, I realized everything I thought I knew about the prison system — and prisoners — was wrong. If you think you know what visiting a prison feels like, and what kind of people you’re going to find there, you might well be wrong, too.”

The Within app can be downloaded for iOS and Android for Google Cardboard, or HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and PlayStation VR head-mounted displays (HMDs).

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Within, reporting back with the latest announcements.

April 30, 2017

360 Short Film ‘Step to the Line’ Published as Part of Oculus’ VR for Good Initiative

Mark Zuckerberg recently posted the 360 film Step to the Line on his Facebook page, which highlights the challenges of living with the criminal justice system in the US, on both sides of the prison wall. The short documentary is an emotionally powerful 360 degree video production, funded by Oculus’ VR for Good initiative.

Created and directed by Brazilian filmmaker Ricardo Laganaro, Step to the Line was shot in a California maximum security prison, using a Nokia Ozo rig. The film documents an exercise regularly run by Catherine Hoke, founder of Defy Ventures, who provide a six-month non-profit entrepreneurship program for inmates at over 20 prisons in the United States.

It involves a group of inmates, referred to as ‘entrepreneurs in training’ or EITs, standing in a line facing a group of Defy staff and volunteers. Hoke reads statements, for example “I’ve earned a four year college degree” or “I’ve lost someone I loved to gang violence” and the volunteers and EITs step towards or away from the line in the centre, depending on whether or not the statement resonates with them. The exercise is already very effective when viewed on a screen, but is particularly powerful in VR, as the 360 camera is set at head height, offering the viewer a unique perspective, looking into the eyes of people on both sides of the line. Another scene places the viewer in a cell, and the sense of scale induced by VR provides a better appreciation for the cramped living conditions.

“One of the most powerful side effects of VR is empathy – the ability to understand other people better when you feel like you’re actually with them”, says Zuckerberg. “When I was in Alabama two months ago as part of my ‘Year of Travel’ challenge, one of the most powerful experiences for me was meeting Anthony Ray Hinton, a man who was exonerated and released after 30 years on death row. There’s nothing like meeting someone like Anthony in person, but VR can get you pretty close. It’s a reminder of how much work we have to do to guarantee equal justice for all.”

Premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film is the ninth project to come out of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab, an initiative to pair filmmakers with non-profit organisations to champion social causes across the world. It is viewable as a 360 video on Facebook or through Oculus Video using a Gear VR or Oculus Rift (or HTC Vive using the Revive injector). It can also be accessed on Facebook Spaces if you save the post before going into the app.

The post 360 Short Film ‘Step to the Line’ Published as Part of Oculus’ VR for Good Initiative appeared first on Road to VR.

April 24, 2017

Oculus Unveils Ninth VR for Good Project Step to the Line

Back in May 2016, Oculus announced its VR for Good initiative, a six week programme for students. One of the areas covered was 360-degree filmmaking and today Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has released the ninth project to be made, Step to the Line.

As Zuckerberg explains in his posting: “One of the most powerful side effects of VR is empathy — the ability to understand other people better when you feel like you’re actually with them.”

“When I was in Alabama two months ago as part of my “Year of Travel” challenge, one of the most powerful experiences for me was meeting Anthony Ray Hinton, a man who was exonerated and released after 30 years on death row. There’s nothing like meeting someone like Anthony in person, but VR can get you pretty close. It’s a reminder of how much work we have to do to guarantee equal justice for all.”

Step to the line_1

So the filmmakers decided to create a short documentary about the US prison system and the stories of the inmates. Step to the Line was created by Ricardo Laganaro in collaboration with Defy Ventures with mentors Christie Marchese and Picture Motion.

Viewers will be able to see first-hand the stories of real inmates, learning what’s it’s like to be a part of the modern criminal justice system and how release from incarceration can be just as jarring as the intake.

Step to the Line can be viewed below as a 360-degree video, for a more immersive experience head to Oculus Video on Gear VR.

If you want to see move content like this head to the VR for Good website, which details more of the films from 2016 due to be released and what’s going to ahppen over 2017.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Oculus’ VR for Good, reporting back with the latest announcements.