Virtual Cinema
“Aeronaut” is one of the first music experiences to feature a hologram created with Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture. This technology was used to capture Billy Corgan’s performance in volumetric video, while incorporating innovative technologies from Google and Unity. This content was created inside a 3D world that was imagined by San Francisco artist and filmmaker, Danny Bittman and brought to life by the teams at Viacom NEXT and Isobar. By capturing Corgan’s three-and-a-half-minute performance in volumetric video at Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studios, Viacom NEXT, Isobar and Bittman, were able to use Tilt Brush and Unity's creation engine to build a world around him. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
In a dim and cluttered terrace house we find HARRY WHITBREAD; a broken man, bound to a wheelchair, and re-living a happier life vicariously through his vivid dreams. In those dreams Harry still has use of his legs and his beloved wife, ROSE, is still alive. But when a strange force enters his dream-state delivering cryptic messages connected to his past, Harry is pointed towards a mysterious ARTEFACT that holds the power to transform his world forever. Harry must now struggle to reconcile the choices he made in the past in order to escape his present existence, all the while shadowy forces are closing in, determined to use him and the power of the artefact for their own ends. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Journey into interstellar space with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth, First Movement by the Philharmonia Orchestra, London - featuring principal conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen. This experience is inspired by content on Voyager's Golden Record and is a collaboration between Daydream, the Philharmonia Orchestra, NASA, and NASA JPL. The Philharmonia Orchestra has released its second exclusive piece of Virtual Reality content, Beethoven’s Fifth. Commissioned by Daydream and directed by Jessica Brillhart, the film was conceived in partnership with Google and NASA to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, and the Golden Records that they each carried. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Chorus transforms you and five friends into fantastical female warriors and sends you on an epic journey to a faraway Tron-like fantasy world. There, you will battle weird and treacherous monsters to save your species from extinction, while fighting to the visceral sounds of electronic music duo, Justice. Chorus is a WITHIN Original, produced in Association with Annapurna Pictures. A Gentle Manhands Production. Music by Justice. Festival-goers will experience Chorus in a six-player VR Pod stystem designed by mk2 VR. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Dinner Party is a 3D virtual reality experience based on the true story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 reported the first nationally known UFO abduction. It’s the pilot episode for The Incident, an anthology series that takes viewers on an immersive and intimate journey through true-life supernatural events. When the Hills were not able to remember and reconcile the details of an inexplicable event, they sought hypnosis. At a dinner party they played their recorded hypnoses to their friends, where viewers experience the separate and radically different accounts of the Hills’ abduction. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Returning to the hometown after year's absence, the Director experienced a strange and overwhelming journey. Everything has changed or distorted beyond recognition. It's like feeling homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. However, the memories are still vivid. That's where she had her first life lesson and where everything began. This VR experience presents a surreal city views with a mixture of painting, video capture, sounds, dreaming, memory, and reality. You will be existed as an participant of Director's memory. You are welcome to explore, to see and to feel the space and the moments. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
GFE is an immersive experimental film that pairs the portrait of an escort with a first-person point of view of the client. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Greenland’s glaciers are melting faster and faster. Why – and what might it mean for the rest of the world? In September 2016, NASA scientists went to Greenland to better understand what’s causing the ice to melt so fast. In this cutting-edge virtual reality experience created with photogrammetry, videogrammetry, CGI and 360 video, people can have the experience of being in Greenland – standing in the water in front of a glacier, flying at low altitudes over some of the world’s most stunning scenery, and diving beneath the ocean’s surface to see what NASA’s studies are revealing. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Sir David Attenborough will take people behind the glass at London’s Natural History Museum in Hold The World, a world-first interactive virtual reality experience. Users will get ‘hands-on’ access to rare objects, while a three-dimensional hologram of Sir David offers his own unique insight on each specimen in a one-on-one interactive experience. Sir David and the Natural History Museum will be brought together using a combination of interactive video game technology and TV documentary. The cutting-edge technology will allow users to hold up, peer inside, tilt and look more closely at the objects. Hold The World is commissioned by the Sky VR Studio and produced by Factory 42. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
This virtual reality experience places the viewer inside the miniature world of Wes Anderson’s upcoming stop-motion animation film. It features a series of “on set” interviews with a selection of actors from the cast of Isle of Dogs. All of the actors play dogs in the film, and the interviews feature the animated dog puppets talking as the actors themselves as if between takes, discussing their roles and experiences on the film. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Living With Jaguars is an interactive virtual reality film documenting wild jaguars in Brazil. Part documentary and part immersive game, Living With Jaguars explores historical and current tensions in a rural region where jaguars prey on ranchers' cattle and ranchers kill them in retaliation. Now, ranchers and jaguars must find new ways to co-exist - or risk the future of a species under threat. In this film, users explore the complex and interconnected perspectives of four key stakeholders: jaguars, ranchers, conservation researchers, and ecotourism operators. Each is vying to protect their destiny in one of the harshest and most unforgiving regions of the world. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
MONO, the former assassin to the queen and legendary ape-man, returns from exile only to learn he has a daughter taken captive by the Fold — a shadowy syndicate from his past. As the cinematic story unfolds, you take control of MONO as he leaps into action to infiltrate the Fold’s Arctic lair. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
67% of the Indian jail population is comprised of “undertrials”—people who have not been convicted of any crime, but are imprisoned while awaiting trial. Unaware that they have the right to free legal aid, and ignorant of the nature of the charges against them, many spend years behind bars. "One Eighty" is the story of a mother, Vijai Kumari, who spent 20 years behind bars, and her son, Kanhaiya Kumari. Once released from prison at the age of 6, he began a relentless quest to save his mother from being punished from a crime she never committed. This project is part of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab, where we pair filmmakers + nonprofits to make great VR in the name of social good. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Parragirls Past, Present is a deeply moving immersive experience presenting former residents’ contemporary visions of Parramatta Girls Home, a punitive Australian child welfare institution closed in 1974. Unlocking contested memories of institutional ‘care’, this collaboration with media artists and Parragirls rewrites the history of Parramatta Girls Home. Over a century, children at risk held at this site were subjected to unwarranted punishment and abuse. Returning after 40 years, Parragirls seek out traces to substantiate what really happened here, moving through fear and futile confinement to resistance and solidarity. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
RONE is a distinctive portrait of the titular street artist, whose stunning large-scale portraits of women’s faces can be found adorning soon to be forgotten spaces, acting as a commentary on gentrification and the masculine realm of street art. The 360' film and interactive VR art gallery takes the viewer inside Rone’s world: we follow him into the rarely-explored spaces in which he works (an abandoned paper mill, a house set for demolition, a crumbling theatre), and learn about his unique philosophy on art and life. The VR experience also takes the viewer into a Rone exhibition and inside his studio, giving them a front-row seat to the artistic process behind Rone’s epic murals. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Silence just might be on the verge of extinction and acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton believes that even the most remote corners of the globe are impacted by noise pollution. In “Sanctuaries of Silence,” join Hempton on an immersive listening journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
The Smash Party game is bringing Titmouse’s infamous Smash Party to homes across the world, where people can safely satisfy their innate desire for destruction. In Smash Party, players can smash a variety of familiar objects from toilets to plates to televisions, surrounded by a virtual crowd cheering their every move. Compete with your friends for bragging rights to see who can cause the most property damage and climb the High Score charts. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Space Explorers: A New Dawn is a cinematic VR series about the new age of space exploration. Witness the lives of NASA astronauts as they navigate the trials and sacrifices of their training and missions. Space Explorers: A New Dawn will shine a light on mankind’s most ambitious journey to understand our planet, our universe and our origins. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
The story is about a girl with a sense of connection with space, and one day she is drawn to the changing fantasy of home, with a variety of spaces that bring her memories. The unusual arrangement of moving from space to space through a closet, cabinet, or bag never ceases to intrigue the audience about a girl. In particular, the focus on the atmosphere of the space and the emotion of the girl creates a " feeling of warmth ". [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
One billion years ago, two black holes violently crashed into one another, creating gravitational waves … and music that only recently has been discovered. For the first time, instead of looking at the universe, we are beckoned to listen to it. SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime is a celestial experience that transports you inside a black hole collision to embark on a musical journey that visualizes gravitational waves and provokes a rich contemplation of the human connection to the cosmos. SPHERES is utilizing mk2's VR Pod turnkey solution for exhibition. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
In a moonlit backyard a mythical game of cricket is being played between two boys. Over the course of the game, we contemplate the physics, motion, pitfalls and beauty of this idiosyncratic sport. Created by Trent Parke and Narelle Autio in collaboration with Matthew Bate, Summation of Force VR is a virtual reinterpretation of their moving image work, placing you inside it. Dark, surreal and exquisitely beautiful, this virtual reality artwork uses cricket as a metaphor for life itself. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
In 2014, ISIS invaded Iraq and targeted the Yazidi community. The men were killed, and the women taken as sex slaves. Some of the women who escaped started a female-only fighting unit called the Sun Ladies to bring back their sisters and protect the honor and dignity of their people. The Sun Ladies VR experience is an in-depth look at the personal journey of the captain of the Sun Ladies, Xate Singali. From her roots as a famous singer in Kurdistan to her new life as a soldier on the frontlines, risking everything to stop the violence against her people. The audience will be faced with the question “What would you do faced with extreme inhumane violence against those you love?" [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Meow Wolf enters the world of interactive digital storytelling with THE ATRIUM. The Santa Fe-based collective channels the creativity behind its acclaimed, large-scale installations into a new form of storytelling. Meow Wolf injects the virtual into physical reality through its custom haptic installation, the first part of a cross-modal system aimed at virtual storytellers. Unravel the mystery of the portal-hopping Selig family from a new perspective, as a surveillance agent downloaded into the body of a cybernetic host. Adrift in the multiverse, you are tasked with investigating the abnormalities surrounding Morgan Selig. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
A testicular romp through the evolution of man told via CGI, a giant testicle-shaped hot air balloon, and narrator Chris O’Dowd—all in the name of bringing awareness to male cancer prevention. This project is part of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab, where we pair filmmakers and nonprofits to make great VR in the name of social good. Nonprofit partner: Male Cancer Awareness Campaign, who Leverage the power of humor—and the visual spectacle of giant floating testicles—to combat embarrassment, raise awareness, and drive home the importance of early diagnosis [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Each world is a microcosm of a different environment, realistically rendered but unreal in their content, somewhat fantastic but not entirely impossible, accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack by Mark Pritchard. The piece is intended to be minimal and meditative, to feel like resting at the top of a rise and taking in a landscape after a long hike. There is a tension between the music and the subtly shifting land-scapes which give them an abstract emotional charge. Minimal, passive interactivity and small changes in the environments based on real world force forces like day/night cycles, wind, temperature, touch, vibration as well as colour and texture make the environments compelling. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Meet 3-year-old Amina in the distant 'Afar' region of Ethiopia, trying to find enough food and water to survive during the worst drought in 30 years; 10-year-old Changkouth, living in conflict-ridden South Sudan, trying to get an education and avoid being recruited as a child soldier, in the country with the highest proportion of out-of-school children in the world; and 18-year-old Mani in Chad - ostracized by her community because she is living with HIV, but determined to change minds and using social media to rally support. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, every 25 minutes a baby is born suffering from Opioid Withdrawal known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Mothers suffering from substance abuse disorder who give birth to these infants are often among the most stigmatized. Tiniest Tremor is the story of one of those births etched from the words of a mother, Cassie. Cassie’s journey from grief to solace is brought to life in the VR format—evoking rich traditions of documentary animation to convey Cassie’s experience in iconographic and poetic images and landscapes. Tiniest Tremor provides a humanistic lens on the public health crisis of Neonatal Abstinence. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
“TOGETHER” is a VR experience about the power of human connection. The piece fuses dance and technology, putting the viewer in the middle of an emotional narrative about breaking down barriers and bringing people closer. The experience was created in collaboration with Palme d'Or winning director Terrence Malick, Academy Award nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and movement artists Jon Boogz and Lil Buck along with Facebook's creative studio, The Factory. VR challenged Malick and Prieto to rethink the traditional narrative structure and deliver a piece that uses VR to tell a timeless story about human connection. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Aiden ShortCloud, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggles to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time. Two Spirit is a cultural term describing the fluidity of gender identity and sexuality with respect to traditional tribal roles across First Nations. Fewer than 10 Two Spirit elders remain, and Aiden’s story represents the struggle to learn, educate, and pass down their wisdom. Part of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab, where we pair filmmakers and nonprofits to make great VR in the name of social good. Nonprofit partner: Pride Foundation, a community foundation that inspires giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people. [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Wonderful You is an interactive, VR experience, inside the womb. Narrated by Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton and created by BDH Immersive for VR headsets. Wonderful You uses the latest scientific research to reveal remarkable stories from the development of your senses; sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Safe in the womb, you hear music in your dreams, you taste what your mother eats, you see sunlight & colour, & your hands grasp what they touch. But long before those senses come into play, your sense of smell is painting you a detailed olfactory picture of the outside world. This is why smell, more than any other sense now has the power to transport you through time and space [Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]