The Oculus-Funded VR Project Spheres, which is narrated by Academy Award Nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), was acquired by CityLights at Sundance 2018 this week in Park City, Utah. This “massive seven-figure” VR financing and distribution deal is ground-breaking for Sundance that is traditionally focused on film acquisitions.
The Spheres first chapter, Songs of Spacetime, premiered in the 2018 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier category, and the three-episode series will be released on Oculus Rift in 2018.
Spheres takes you into the deepest and darkest parts of the cosmos. And the experience is full of new-age music and sounds to transport you into another world.
Festival badge-holders could view Spheres at the Oculus Story Studio at Main & Sky during the festival. When viewing it, you may want to try to sit down because you really feel like you are in the stars. The lights, graphics, and narration create a memorable, out-of-body experience that was our favorite VR story by far at Sundance 2018.
Besides feeling like you are going to fall through a black hole, you also have sensors in your hand controls. And when you point them at the stars while watching Spheres, they glow even brighter and vibrate.
This Spheres VR series was created and directed by Sundance newcomer Eliza McNitt, and executive producers include Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, and Jessica Chastain (also the narrator).
In addition to Spheres, Facebook-owned VR company Oculus showcased four other projects they funded, that also debuted at the festival:
Dispatch – Writer/Director Ed Robles
Dispatch is a 30-minute, multi-chapter thriller about a police dispatcher named Ted (Silicon Valley’s Martin Starr) who receives a series of calls. Ted is disillusioned, and faces an all-night crime spree.
Masters of the Sun – Presented by will.i.am and The Black-Eyed Peas
Launching on Gear VR, Masters of the Sun takes place during the 1980s “when ancient and modern forces of evil started destroying black communities.” The Black-Eyed Peas partnered with Marvel and Oculus to bring this project to you. will.i.am and The Black-Eyed Peas spoke on a Deadline.com panel at Sundance 2018 about this VR series, which you can watch here:
Space Explorers: A New Dawn – Morgan Spurlock co-collaborated with Felix & Paul Studios
This 30-minute film is from VR gurus Felix & Paul Studios – with help from Morgan Spurlock. The Space Explorers team worked with NASA, SpaceX, and the Russian space program to give you the best possible glimpse inside a space mission. Space Explorers is coming to Oculus in 2018.
Wolves in the Walls – From Emmy Award-winning team for Henry
Wolves in the Walls is a gorgeous, interactive adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean haunting work. Wolves in the Walls is coming to Oculus in 2018.
New media has continued to thrive and expand at the Sundance Film Festival. VR, MR, and AR to AI projects were also on display by YouTube, Intel and others this year.
In a recent press release, Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, stated “Technology-enabled storytelling continues to develop into a thriving industry. It’s essential to protect the creative spaces where creators can develop work and reach audiences independent of commercial pressures. The work that we showcase at New Frontier sets the agenda for the year in creative cross-media storytelling.”
Congratulations to the Spheres team, and look for all of these exciting VR and new media experiences in 2018!
…And for more Sundance behind-the-scenes coverage, follow @LizHKelly.
