philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Virtual Reality: The Next 3D or Something Bigger?

Slowly but surely, Hollywood is dipping its toes into the VR waters:

• At this summer’s annual International Comic-Con in San Diego, attendees were able to experience an Oculus Rift VR experience for “Sleepy Hallow,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Pacific Rim” and “Into the Storm.”

• Ahead of and after the early November theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s
”Interstellar,” Paramount is partnering with IMAX and AMC to show off a “first-of-its-kind” VR experience of the film, using the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2. The experience promises a virtual zero gravity immersion, inside the spacecraft from the film.

• Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have partnered with visual effects company Otoy to put together a VR experience for “Batman: The Animated Series,” an Emmy-winning series that aired on Fox from 1992-1995. The interactive, holographic experience promises a first-hand tour of the Batcave, and will be geared toward both the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

• Brisbane, Calif.-based technology start-up Condition One is set to release the first 100% virtual reality movie, Zero Point, a film shot in 3D, 360-degree video, optimized for the Oculus Rift.

Zero Point creator and director Danfung Dennis (a 2012 Oscar Best Documentary Feature nominee for “Hell and Back Again”) said it’s not a question of if, but when VR takes off. “And when it does emerge, it will be a major platform shift in computing with the potential to fundamentally transform entertainment and communication,” he said.

• Indie animation studio Reel FX — whose original films includes this month’s Fox release “The Book of Life,” has launched a dedicated VR division, Reel FX VR. The new arm will create VR content for platforms including the Samsung Gear VR. The studio was responsible for the “Pacific Rim” VR experience at Comic-Con

• In late August, Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech company Jaunt announced it has secured nearly $28 million in funding for its full-stack hardware and software solution for cinematic VR.

Arnaud Retureau, VP of product for M-Go — the transactional VOD entertainment service co-owned by Technicolor and DreamWorks Animation — told the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance that VR differs from 3D because more can be done with it.

See the full story here: http://mesalliance.org/blog/uncategorized/2014/10/15/virtual-reality-the-next-3d-or-something-bigger/?utm_source=Smart+Content+List&utm_campaign=299a56517a-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5fe49dbd6d-299a56517a-87508281