Disney, National Geographic, Starbreeze recognized for VR projects

The Advanced Imaging Society held its tenth annual awards ceremony this week at Warner Bros Studios and virtual reality was a major focus of the event.

Ready Player One, based in a virtual reality world, took the award for best live action 3D feature and best stereography.

 

Van Jones and Elijah Allan-Blitz took home the award for the best use of VR for social impact for their documentary The Messy Truth VR, produced by Magic Labs Media and 6cc Medias.

According to Magic Labs, the series was created by Van Jones, a TV host, activist and Magic Labs Media co-founder. The first episode stars Winston Duke, who played M’Baku in the Oscar-nominated film, Black Panther. Duke also served as a producer.

The Messy Truth VR Experience is a virtual reality series that puts viewers in the shoes of people from other walks of life, in communities that may be unfamiliar to them. Utilizing VR, the viewer sees through the eyes of a 12-year old African-American boy as he and his dad are pulled over by the police. The scenario is based on a real-life incident, with research provided by Time Magazine.

“Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to truly understand what a person of a different race, gender or worldview is going through,” Van Jones said in a statement. “But a virtual reality experience can give life-changing insight. VR has the potential to be the world’s most powerful tool for generating empathy and understanding. It’s time to start using this new technology to bring us together across old divides.”

There’s no information yet about where people can see the film.

(Image courtesy Disney Animation Studios.)

Disney scored with Cycles, its first VR animated short film, which was selected as the best animated VR experience.

It’s been shown at festivals, but, again, there’s no information about where the film is available to the public, but you can see an interview with the director below.

National Geographic’s One Strange Rock VR Experience won for Best Use of VR for Education.

It was the first 3D virtual reality film show in space. Watch the 360-degree video below, or in virtual reality with your favorite VR headset.

Starbreeze Studios and Ink Stories’ Hero won the best immersive VR experience award.

To create Hero, Starbreeze Studios partnered with DTS to create a 20 by 30 foot space in which participants were immersed in an ambient sound environment created with 30 cinema-grade loudspeakers and four cinema subwoofers.

 

The Sun Ladies was chosen as the best 360-degree film. It was produced by Maria Bello and Lucid Dream Productions, and directed by Celine Tricart.

The documentary focuses on women who escaped from ISIS and formed a women-only fighting unit to rescue other women and girls taken as sex slaves. The VR experience is an in-depth look at the personal journey of the captain of the Sun Ladies, Xate Singali, from her roots as a famous singer in Kurdistan to her new life as a soldier on the front lines. Maria Bello provided Singali’s voice.

The film was released last year at Sundance, and was the official selection at the festival. Again, there’s no word about where it can currently be seen.

Other Winners: VR at the mall and office

 

(Image courtesy Hologate.)

Hologate won the award for the best location-based VR experience.

The company makes multi-player modules that can hold from one to four players at a time, designed to be installed at event facilities, arcades, shopping malls, and other venues.

TRIPP was recognized for the best use of VR for health and well-being.

The Advanced Imaging Society’s Lumiere awards are voted by members of the Hollywood creative and technology community working in motion pictures, television, and emerging media.

 

Maria Korolov