Two months ago we got a look inside one of the three studios in the world to feature Microsoft’s volumetric capture setup. The tech itself is impressive, but we’re still searching for promising VR experiences that actually use it. Awake is one such experience.
Announced today, Awake is the latest VR series from Start VR, a production studio specializing in VR content that we first reported on last year when Red Dead Redemption designer Christian Cantamessa came aboard. The project stars Jake McDorman and Analeigh Tipton and is directed by Start VR Chief Content Officer, Martin Taylor.
The series tells the story of Harry Whitbread, a disabled man reflecting on a life-changing choice he once made that led him to where he is now. Episodes drift in and out of Whitbread’s thoughts and dreams as viewers visit his past, present and future. Start VR describes it as a love story as its heart, focusing on concepts of space, time and existence.
Microsoft’s volumetric capture provides near-photorealistic scans of the actors’ performance, recording a full range of emotions and movements. You can also see this tech at work in the recent Blade Runner: Memory Labs experience that was released for free on the Oculus Rift.
Awake is funded in part by HTC Vive and the first episode will release on that headset as well as others in early 2018.
