The annual Sundance Film Festival has traditionally served as Oculus’ stomping grounds for showing off VR movie content. This year, however, it’s not alone.
HTC is bringing a line-up of apps to the event as part of the VR on the Mountain exhibit running from Janauary 20th – 22nd, which is separate to the New Frontiers division of the festival that has its own range of VR content.
The star of the show will likely be the suitably-titled Mindshow, a cartoon-ish character animation and storytelling tool from LA-based company Visionary that made the rounds at CES 2017 earlier in the month too. In it you’re able to set up scenes, take on the role of characters and then act out sequences as if you were really in the movie. It will make for a compelling showcase at a festival about films, as it will give attendees a chance to make their own narratives on the spot.
Also premiering at VR on the Mountain is My Brother’s Keeper, a companion piece to the upcoming Mercy Street Civil War series on PBS. It’s a VR reenactment of the historic Battle of Antietam that uses a new action camera rig built by filmmakers PBS Digital, StoryTech Immersive, Perception Squared and the Technicolor Experience Center. Remembering Pearl Harbor, a VR piece that released on Viveport last month, will be on display too.
Meanwhile, we’ve all been looking forward to Baobab Studio’s follow-up to Invasion! with Asteroids!. We already knew the next episode in the charming animated series would be debuting at Sundance, and it will be shown at VR on the Mountain from January 21st. There will be some interactive content too, including The Price of Freedom from Construct Studios and the ever-popular Tiltbrush. Google Spotlight Studios’ Pearl will be on display as will “a few surprises”.
Keep an eye out for additional Vive exhibits during the show. The last two Sundance Festivals have seen us get updates from Oculus Story Studio, so we’re hoping to see more from the company there too.
