‘Pirates 5’ to Be First Hollywood Feature to Play New Panoramic Cinema Format in U.S.
Recently launched ScreenX is a multi-projector, 270-degree cinema system from Seoul-headquartered CJ 4DPlex (the company behind the 4DX 4D cinema system). According to CJ, the new installment of Pirates is scheduled to play at 83 ScreenX locations around the world, including two in the U.S., CGV Buena Park and CGV Cinemas LA, both in California.
To create the 270-degree versions of ScreenX releases, a ScreenX creative team uses CGI and footage provided by the studio. In the case of Pirates 5, select sequences of the film were converted to the widescreen format (not the entire film).
Pirates 5 will also play in 4D on 373 4DX screens worldwide, CJ reported.
See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/pirates-5-be-first-hollywood-feature-play-new-panoramic-screen-us-1006335
Entrepreneurship in China
The BFA case illustrates the Chinese method, in which the central government creates an industrial policy, then provides funding, infrastructure, R&D, private sector incentives, capital and educational resources to intensify the chances of success. Startups get a leg up in a favored sector, which means that entrepreneurs may start companies that stay alive, even if they are not long-term winners in the race to find customers and profits.
But once a company gains traction, they have access to a home market unlike any in the world.
See the full blog here: http://www.nickdemartino.net/blog/2017/5/22/entrepreneurship-in-china.html
Building The VR Experiences And Worlds of the Future
Pallister added, “It feels like the current set of hardware has tipped us over a point where people can feel a magical experience but it is really only just the beginning of the types of experiences depicted in those fictional works.”
Pallister leads Intel’s virtual reality (VR) project lab in Hillsboro, Oregon. His team is working to improve the state of VR technology and to bring VR to mainstream audiences. In his current role, Pallister forecasts the progress of VR and the ingredient technologies responsible for driving VR experiences.
See the full story here: https://uploadvr.com/building-vr-experiences-worlds-future/
The ambitions of VR and AR developers don’t match their financing needs
According to the 34-page survey, 50 percent of VR and AR developers indicated that they will require more financing in the future, stating they will need additional rounds of more than $1 million. In order to raise this level of investment, companies typically need to have the ambition to achieve at least $10 million in revenue within five years. However, the average developer in the survey expects their firm to generate “only” $1.3 million.
See the full story here; https://venturebeat.com/2017/05/10/the-ambitions-of-vr-and-ar-developers-dont-match-their-financing-needs/
A VR Developer Created an Expansive Virtual World for Chickens
- Second Livestock is a unique application of virtual reality (VR) that could change animal husbandry and livestock farming.
- Developed by design professor Austin Stewart, this VR free-range farm world is a safe haven for chickens.
See the full story here: https://futurism.com/a-vr-developer-created-an-expansive-virtual-world-for-chickens/
How Alejandro G. Iñárritu Used Virtual Reality to Tackle Illegal Immigration
The sand is coarse under foot and the moonlight barely illuminates the way through the rocky desert terrain as you edge along the Mexican and American border. Suddenly there’s shouting. Vans hurtle forward in the distance, helicopters whirl overhead, as border guards leap out of the shadows, rifles at the ready, ordering you and your fellow immigrants to your knees.
No, this is not a ripped-from-the-headlines version of a chose your own adventure game. It’s a shattering new virtual reality experience from Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki called “Carne y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible),” that is being unveiled at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Filmmakers have been toying with virtual reality for years, but there’s never been an installation of quite this size and scope. Usually, Iñárritu told Variety, the technology has been used to hawk Hollywood blockbusters, not to tackle hot button issues.
“The big mistake of VR is that it has been considered an extension of cinema,” said Iñárritu. “It has been considered a promotional tool. It has been devalued. This is an art in itself.”
The roughly six-minute experience is being backed by Legendary Entertainment and Fondazione Prada, neither of whom plan to make a penny on the installation. It will be exhibited at Fondazione Prada in Milan before coming to the Los Angeles County Art Museum.
Both men are careful to note that “Carne y Arena” is not cinema, with a director dictating where a viewer’s eye is meant to land. It’s a 360 degree experience that is its own beast. But Lubezki believes virtual reality is a natural extension of recent works such as “The Revenant” and “Birdman” that used long takes to create a feeling of verisimilitude and plunge people into a frontier landscape or backstage on Broadway.
“If the studios don’t get into it, they will be irrelevant soon,” he said. “Filmmakers will be very attracted to this.”
See the full story here: http://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/alejandro-g-inarritu-virtual-reality-1202430264/
The Virtual Reality Company’s New Animated Series Raising a Rukus Gets New Premiere Date and 2D Trailer
The Virtual Reality Company‘s original animated virtual-reality series Raising a Rukus is set to premiere at the IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles on May 19 — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at a new trailer of the series.
Raising a Rukus follows two siblings and their mischievous dog Rukus as they travel to different worlds and embark on various magical adventures together.
“We’ve all seen animated stories before, but for the first time, we’re actually immersed in this world with the characters,” VRC’s co-founder and chief creative officer Robert Stromberg previously PEOPLE.
Each episode of the show will last 12 minutes and will feature branched narration, allowing viewers to follow the story from the perspective of the brother and sister.
Following the premiere, the experience will continue to rollout throughout the summer on Gear headsets and through special events.
See the full story here: http://people.com/movies/virtual-reality-company-raising-a-rukus-trailer/