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Google releases gorgeous VR short film 'Age of Sail'
Google Spotlight Stories has released its latest short, Age of Sail. Directed by Academy Award winner John Kahrs (Disney's Paperman short), it blends beautiful animation with the story of an old, lonely sailor, played by Ian McShane, who is adrift in the Atlantic Ocean in 1900. When he rescues a young woman (Cathy Ang), who fell overboard from a passing ship, his outlook changes to one of hope.
Google's latest VR Spotlight story watches you
Google's latest interactive Spotlight Story has an unusual twist... namely, it's watching you. The Piggy VR experience uses six-degrees-of-freedom movement tracking to have a pig respond to your gaze as its namesake character is tempted by a cake. Stare at Piggy and the porcine protagonist will look back with annoyance, guilt or surprise while trying to distract you. Look away, however, and Piggy may give in to cravings. Yes, it's easy to make jokes about a Google story that tracks what you're doing, but it's a clever way of involving the audience without disrupting the narrative.
Google's first VR Doodle honors filmmaker Georges Méliès
Visit the Google home page today (May 3rd) and you'll find an unusual Doodle of a stick-thin man with a pristine suit. Click and you'll be presented with a YouTube player that brings the quirky figure -- French filmmaker Georges Méliès -- and his creations to life in a wonderfully animated 360-degree short. Google is calling it a VR Doodle, which it is, sort of. Back to the Moon will be part of the Spotlight Stories app, which works with Cardboard and Daydream headsets. It will also be available for high-end VR headsets, such as the HTC Vive, through Steam and Viveport.
Google's interactive 'Spotlight Stories' come to YouTube
Google's Spotlight Stories started life as a partnership with Motorola. The made-for-mobile 360-degree videos let viewers dive into animated worlds created by engineers and movie makers. The latest film, "Special Delivery," arrives just in time for the holidays and was created by Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame). Unlike most VR video, Spotlight Stories use the sensors in your phone for a more interactive experience. Look away from the main character and the main story pauses, while you unlock mini stories that only play when you focus on them. Previous shows required a special app to view them, but Special Delivery is launching on directly on YouTube -- as the ubiquitous video site bolsters its VR library.
