sundance2018
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Darren Aronofsky-backed VR series 'Spheres' lands a 7-figure deal
If you want evidence that VR is maturing as an entertainment medium, you just got it. CityLights just bought the rights to Spheres, the three-part VR black hole series written by Eliza McNitt and produced by Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, for a "seven-figure" amount at the Sundance Film Festival. That might not sound like much by Hollywood standards, but it's the first-ever seven-figure VR purchase at the event. It was slated to reach the Oculus Rift in 2018 (Oculus and Intel backed the project) and should get wider distribution as a result.
‘Zikr’ brings transcendental Sufi dancing to VR
Director Gabo Arora has spent the past few years promoting virtual reality as the ideal medium for evoking empathy. He spearheaded the UN's VR app, which featured two of his films, Clouds Over Sidra and My Mother's Wing. Now, with Zikr: A Sufi Revival, his new VR experience debuting at the New Frontier exhibition at Sundance today, he's also hoping to help people work through their own ingrained biases against Muslims -- just as he did. Having grown up in a Hindu family that was forced to flee Pakistan when it gained independence, Arora admits that he picked up plenty of negative ideas about Islam and its followers. But after visiting Sufi shrines in India and learning about that Islamic sect's inclusive musical rituals, he was able to outgrow his intolerance. With this VR film, Arora says, he's also aiming to give viewers a sense of the transcendental nature of Sufi practices.
Oculus shows how much VR has evolved at Sundance
Two years into the rise of modern virtual reality, following the launch of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, the medium might seem as if it's losing a bit of its luster. Headsets are cheaper and easier to use, especially with new Windows Mixed Reality devices, yet VR experiences are still a mixed bag. That's understandable, since we're stepping into an entirely new art form, but consumer adoption depends on VR creators figuring out their storytelling language soon. Luckily, that seems to be a trend at the Sundance New Frontier Exhibition this year. We're moving beyond the initial "wow factor" and toward more mature experiences that take advantage of VR's unique ability to immerse you.
MoviePass will invest in films to have a stake in their success
MoviePass' pseudo-unlimited subscription theater service is increasingly popular, but that doesn't mean it's profitable -- it currently has to subsidize tickets, which isn't exactly sustainable in the long run. The company's solution? Secure a stake in the movies themselves. It's launching a MoviePass Ventures subsidiary that will "co-acquire" films alongside distributors. While the details aren't entirely clear, MoviePass expects to benefit from the entire pipeline, whether it's the initial theatrical release, streaming services or in-flight viewing.
'Science Fair' shows the challenges teens face in Intel's competition
Intel's science fairs are pressure cookers: imagine pitting some of the world's brightest students against each other while they're already grappling with teenage anxiety. And now, there's a documentary that illustrates just how rough it can be. Muck Media has released the first trailer for Science Fair, a doc that follows nine high schoolers as they strive for glory at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair. The students aren't just worrying about their technical accomplishments, although those are notable by themselves (such as calculator that generates Shakespearean insults) -- they also have to deal with their confidence, socio-economic hardships, rivalries and raging hormones.
