philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

19Feb/19Off

Nonny de la Peña, the Godmother of VR, Wants to Bring Virtual Reality to the Masses

19981_Reach_headshot1_NonnydelaPeaNot satisfied with just telling compelling stories, the Mexican-American creator wanted to put the tools that she has in her company in the hands of other VR users and enthusiasts. REACH, which just showed off its possibilities at the Sundance Film Festival’s expanding New Frontiers showcase, uses 3D captured video of a subject and places them in a volumetric online world where other VR users can see them talk. For instance, at Sundance, visitors could record themselves talking about their experience with one of the works at New Frontiers and then place themselves inside the work they’re describing, like VR criticism within a VR experience. The photos of REACH show a person walking through what looks like an art museum, like a guided tour of a place too far or too expensive to travel to, now available for whoever wants to watch the VR video online – no fancy VR glasses needed if you don’t have them.

There’s no elaborate training needed in order to play in REACH, just curiosity. “People can poke around the buttons and they can make stuff in 30 minutes or less, and then you publish it straight to the web. “I know how hard these tools can get, so I made these the simplest tools possible. It allows anybody to come and make volumetric, full walkaround virtual reality, not just 360 video.”

In addition to opening up the VR space to new creators, de la Peña is still creating immersive experiences with Emblematic Group. She has her sights on what’s happening on the border and has a new upcoming experience to share with audiences soon. “It’s the story of this young woman who comes to the U.S. from Mexico every day,” said de la Peña. “They had to cross these tracks and one day there was a train in the way. They knew if they went around, they would be late so they had to go under. She was going under and the train started moving.” In addition to this project, she has another one on the story of a survivor of one of the Japanese-American internment camps, a collaboration with Spectrum News and another with the company Scatter for their Depthkits that would allow users to film 3D images for REACH.

See the full story here: http://remezcla.com/features/film/nonny-de-la-pena-interview-reach-sundance/

Comments (0) Trackbacks (0)

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Trackbacks are disabled.