E3 2015 is turning out to be a nexus of announcements in VR content development. One such project that’s getting attention is the immersive VR cinematic short titled “Neuro”, which was developed by Deluxe, an entertainment services firm with roots in Hollywood going back to 1915, in partnership LA based VR production studio Kite and Lightning.
The 5 minute immersive experience guides the viewer through a psychedelic rendering of a human brain, one possessed in this case by British musician Reuben Wu. What sets it apart is the photoreal digital likeness of Mr. Wu, including facial motion capture, animate and ADR, for a high-fidelity avatar of the “host”’s persona within the VR medium.
“Neuro” is another good example of large, established players in the traditional media and entertainment space dabbling in VR content production as they sense a coming paradigm shift. Many wondered how long it would take for the Hollywood and creative advertising machines to jump on the VR bandwagon, but enthusiasm doesn’t seem to be a problem.
What’s more, companies like Deluxe aren’t only producing their own content, but focusing on transferring their long-held expertise in traditional media post-production workflows to tools and processes that will optimize and accelerate the production process for other content creators. According to Stefan Sonnefeld, CEO of Deluxe Creative Services, “Adding a suite of virtual reality services is a natural extension of the companys industry leading digital post-production capabilities into this new high-growth content arena”.
Precipitated by Oculus’ development of their “Story Studio”, content creators big and small are delving into cinematic VR as a legitimate art form and entertainment media. Apropos, “Neuro” will be appearing next at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, starting June 1st.
