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How a queer black filmmaker made virtual reality a reality at Sundance
When Shari Frilot first kicked off New Frontier, an exhibit that pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling through art and technology, at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2007, the attending press didn't quite know what to make of it or the works on display. "People came and they had no idea what we were doing, but they thought it was really cool," says Frilot of that inaugural exhibit. "And people were calling it 'art at Sundance.' So we had to fight that in the press. We're decidedly not doing an art show."
Virtual reality movies arrive in force at the Sundance Film Festival
Virtual reality is already making its presence felt in the movie business, but it's about to take root in a big way. The Sundance Film Festival has revealed that nine of the 13 New Frontier art installations at its 2015 event will use virtual reality, most of which are movies taking advantage of a wearable display to tell stories in new ways. Perspective; Chapter I: The Party (above) lets you see trauma of a social encounter from both perspectives, while Kaiju Fury puts you on the ground as giant monsters try to destroy a city. Other projects are more about interactive storytelling than pure immersion. Birdly reproduces the sensations of natural flight, while Project Syria recreates scenes from the war-ravaged country so that you can explore them on your own terms.
Spike Jonze's free web film features robot love, vodka, long wait times
We wanted to tell you what Spike Jonze's new web film I'm Here is all about, we really did, and not just because it reportedly has robots in it -- though that was certainly a major factor in the decision. But after we crossed the virtual street to the virtual box office, we were informed that there were no seats left in the virtual theater. Imagine that. So instead of providing our impressions here, we'll just give you the facts. I'm Here is sponsored by Absolut Vodka; I'm Here is a 30-minute love story about humanoids living in Los Angeles. I'm Here can be viewed alongside Facebook friends; I'm Here can only be seen by 5,000 viewers a day. I'm Here promises a "striking online cinema experience," and we were struck by just how lifelike waiting for tickets could be. And if you, too, can't get "in" to see it, I'm Here can satiate you slightly with a one-minute trailer after the break.
YouTube introduces movie rentals, only independent titles for now
In an atypically low key beginning, YouTube is starting to roll out a new movie rental service. Currently stocked with only five titles from independent film producers, it won't be posing any threats to the Netflix empire any time soon, but plans are naturally afoot to expand what's on offer. Available between this Friday and the end of this year's Sundance Film Festival, the movies can be rented for $3.99 a piece through the Google Checkout payment system. Prepare your muscles to do some cringing though, as YouTube is said to be working on adding health, fitness and educational videos as well. Still, the focus seems to be on getting indie filmmakers more exposure -- and cash, "the majority" of rental revenue will go to the film producers -- and we can't really argue with that.
