SXSW VR Line up 2018
SXSW (South by SouthWest) is not just a festival, not just a conference, but a whole world, especially for VR creators and developers. Having both VR Cinema competition and huge VR/AR Track in the program, SXSW became a leading place to combine both tech people and vr creatives.
Our focus here is more in a cinematic VR, so that what we’ll start from
Virtual Cinema
Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world. The 25 projects presented in our new Virtual Cinema emphasize storytelling, ingenuity and also showcase how other industries are embracing this new medium.
Link: https://www.sxsw.com/exhibitions/virtual-cinema/
Aeronaut (World Premiere)
Discover an ever-changing virtual landscape created by Viacom NEXT and Isobar (with Tilt Brush art by Danny Bittman), where a volumetric 3D model of two-time Grammy award winning artist Billy Corgan sings and plays the piano to his single Aeronaut.
The Atrium (World Premiere)
Director: Brian Solomon, Screenwriters: Brian Solomon, James Longmire
The Atrium, Meow Wolf’s first mixed reality installation, builds on the story of the acclaimed immersive exhibition, House of Eternal Return. Voyage through the surreal lullaby of the multiverse — and unravel a mystery spanning multiple dimensions.
Awake: Episode One (World Premiere) (Australia, United States)
Director: Martin Taylor, Screenwriters: Martin Taylor, Mike Jones, Christian Cantamessa
Harry is a prisoner in his own house, obsessed with discovering the truth behind a recurring dream and a cryptic message within it. The arrival of a new presence promises to save Harry from his darkness and unlock the potential of humanity’s future.
Beethoven’s Fifth (World Premiere) (United Kingdom, United States)
Director: Jessica Brillhart, Screenwriters: Jessica Brillhart, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Journey into interstellar space with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth by the Philharmonia Orchestra, London — conducted by Principal Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The film was inspired by content on Voyager’s Golden Record, launched by NASA in 1977.
Chorus
Director: Tyler Hurd
Transform into fantastical female warriors in this social virtual reality experience. Six people can band together to battle evil in this epic journey of empowerment, all orchestrated to the song “Chorus” by Justice.
Dinner Party
Director: Angel Manuel Soto, Screenwriters: Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler Dinner Party, the pilot episode for a true-life supernatural anthology series The Incident, 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 known UFO abduction.
Everything Flows (World Premiere) (China, United States)
Director: Yumeng Du
Everything Flows is a VR film experience that presents the time and space in an artistic way. It invites you to a journey of Director’s hometown, Wuhan, China. It is a mixture of painting, video capture, sounds, dreaming, memory, and reality.
The Evolution of Testicles (World Premiere) (United States, Ireland, United Kingdom)
Director: Ryan Hartsell
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.
The Four Worlds (World Premiere) (United States, Australia)
Directors: Jonathan Zawada, Mark Pitchard
The Four Worlds consists of four installations comprised of looping VR experiences augmented with extra sensory stimulation IRL. Each scene is a microcosm of a different environment, accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack by Mark Pritchard.
GFE (World Premiere)
Director: Michael Jacobs
An immersive 360 experimental film that offers a first-person experience of going on a date with a sex worker.
Greenland Melting (North American Premiere)
Directors: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Screenwriters: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Julia Cort NASA scientists are studying a troubling cause, Greenland is melting faster and faster. Using cutting edge VR technology, people can experience standing in front of a glacier, traveling underwater, and flying over some of the world’s stunning scenery.
Hold The World (North American Premiere) (United Kingdom)
Director: Dan Smith
Hold the World (“HTW”) is a world-first interactive VR entertainment experience hosted by Sir David Attenborough at the London’s Natural History Museum.
The Journey (World Premiere) (United States, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United Kingdom)
Director: Charlotte Mikkelborg
The Journey through childhood in 3 of the toughest environments on Earth. Our 3 children will take you on a sensory journey into their worlds — immersing you in their past, present and future.
Living With Jaguars (World Premiere) (Canada)
Directors: Patrick McGuire, Jeff Orlowski, Screenwriter: Kate Lunau
Living With Jaguars is an interactive virtual reality film documenting wild jaguars in Brazil. Users explore the complex and interconnected perspectives of four key stakeholders: jaguars, ranchers, conservation researchers, and ecotourism operators.
MONO — Blackwater (World Premiere)
Director: Ben Wolstenholme, Screenwriters: Ben Wolstenholme, Felipe Marino, Anthony Brock
MONO, the former assassin to the queen and legendary ape-man, returns from exile to save his daughter, and reluctantly, Mankind.
One Eighty (World Premiere) (United States, India)
Director: Eren Aksu
One Eighty is the story of an Indian mother, Vijai Kumari, who spent 20 years behind bars, and her son, Kanhaiya Kumari, who was born in prison…and their quest to clear their names and live in freedom.
Parragirls Past, Present — unlocking institutional memories of ‘care’ (North American Premiere) (Australia)
Directors: Media artists and Parragirls, Parragirls/Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Memory Project, Screenwriters: Bonney Djuric, Lily Hibberd, Jenny McNally
Parragirls Past, Present is a deeply moving immersive experience presenting former residents’ contemporary visions of Parramatta Girls Home to unlock memories of institutional ‘care’ within the punitive Australian child welfare system.
RONE (Australia) (North American Premiere)
Director: Lester Francois
A distinctive portrait in VR of street artist Rone, whose stunning large-scale portraits are often seen in forgotten spaces. A mix of 360′ video and a virtual art gallery to explore, RONE will draw you into the world of street art like never before.
Sanctuaries of Silence
Directors: Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Sanctuaries of Silence is an immersive listening journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America.
Space x Girl (World Premiere) (Korea, Republic of)
Director: Minhyuk Che
A story about a girl and her space. The girl has a special sense of feeling the heart of the space. One day the space of the girl begins a conversation. It is about her memories that she was not aware of.
Spheres: Songs of Spacetime
Director/Screenwriter: Eliza McNitt
Dive into the heart of a black hole and uncover the hidden songs of the cosmos. In this VR experience, the breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves transforms how we see the Universe. Fall into the darkness, and you will find the light.
Summation of Force (Australia)
Directors: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio, Matthew Bate, Screenwriters: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio
In a moonlit suburban backyard, two brothers battle one another in an otherworldly game of cricket in this stunning black and white live-action study of the motion, physics, and psychology of sport. Created by photographers Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, in collaboration with filmmaker Matthew Bate, this VR artwork offers a cosmic, darkly beautiful, and dreamlike metaphor for life.
Sun Ladies VR
Directors: Celine Tricart, Christian Stephen
In 2014, ISIS invaded Iraq and targeted the Yazidi community. The men were killed, and the women taken as sex slaves. Some of the ones who escaped decided to join the Kurdistan army and started a female-only fighting unit called the Sun Ladies.
Tiniest Tremor (World Premiere)
Directors: Nicholas Manting Brewer, Megan Simon
An emotionally immersive and visually poetic journey into the issue of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome through the story of a woman who suffered from substance abuse disorder to Opioids and her child.
Together (World Premiere)
Director: Terrence Malick
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.
We’re Still Here (World Premiere)
Director: Jesse Ayala Aiden
Short Cloud, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggles to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time.
Wonderful You VR (North American Premiere) (United Kingdom)
Director: John Durrant
Wonderful You VR, a Virtual Reality experience narrated by Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton, is a journey through the strange world of your developing senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.
VR/AR TRACK
MARCH 13–15 • CONVERGENCE. Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world.
Link: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/events/track/VR%2FAR?_ga=2.17766521.1114142736.1520638362-815956465.1515862295
Quick list of the VR Cinema related sessions:
Beyond AR/VR: The Dawn of Volumetric Productions
Brave New World: The Future of Theatre & Tech
Bringing Big Budget Virtual Production Tools to Indie Filmmakers
Cinematic Virtual Reality Meet Up
Convergence Keynote: Nonny de la Peña
Empathy and Intimacy: Are We Really Feeling VR?
How Volumetric Humans Impact Storytelling in VR/AR
Making it Real: Tangible Worlds of Storytelling
VR in Journalism: The Next Wave
VR Storytelling for Filmmakers
And we have also learned that 8 different pieces around “Ready Player one” would be showcased with HTC Vive! Some info on SXSW web site: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/events/OE3265
and another link is to RoadToVR: https://www.roadtovr.com/7-official-ready-play-one-vr-experiences-debut-sxsw-soon-available-home-download/
We are pretty sure that it’s not even half of what you can find at SXSW, but at least it gives the idea of where SXSW is moving!
Please don’t hesitate to add more information in the responses!
