Voices of VR

NOTE: This sponsored episode was produced by Kent Bye in partnership with PHI and participation from Agog: Immersive Media Institute and immersive artist Peter Burr. PHI and Agog: Immersive Media Institute are collaborating on the PHI Immersive: XR for Impact residency program that will be running for four weeks from March 2 to 27, 2026 in Montreal, Canada. It was first announced on March 6th, and it's open to "artists, groups, or collectives residing in North America (including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Greenland, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and Bermuda)." The submission deadline is June 24th, 2025 (11:59 EDT), and there are a couple of information sessions coming up next week on Tuesday, May 13th (French) and Thursday, May 15th (English), and you can find the Zoom links on the application page (or video recordings if it's after May 15th). I think this is a very unique opportunity that will be of interest to the Voices of VR podcast audience since the selected artist(s) will be invited to spend a month collaborating with PHI Studio over four weeks towards developing an initial prototype. Here's how they describe it: Focusing specifically on the development phase of a project over the course of four weeks, the selected artist(s), group, or collective will collaborate with PHI Studio experts to conceptualize, plan, and prototype an immersive artwork. The program provides the selected project with personalized support, workspace, the possibility to connect with a community partner and targeted resources to refine the concept, create prototypes, and prepare for potential production. I had a chance to catch up with Myriam Archard, Chief New Media Partnership and PR at PHI, Amy Seidenwurm, Chief of Programs and Strategy at Agog, as well as Peter Burr, who was the immersive artist selected for the 2025 edition of the PHI Immersive residency. We talk about the collaboration between PHI and Agog, which is bringing a specific impact focus on "transforming narratives through activism, contemporary challenges, and social good." We elaborate a bit more about what it means to use XR technologies and immersive storytelling to empower changemakers. We also talk about best practices and things to avoid in a pitch (be sure to read closely what the submission guidelines are), and a lot of general advice for aspiring immersive artists navigating how to inspire change and provide opportunities to make a positive difference on the many different challenges facing us today. We also cover a lot of other logistics of the PHI Immersive: XR for Impact residency, including Burr's personal reflections on what the experience was like. Agog also is interested in supporting other immersive residencies, and perhaps starting some of their own residency programs, and so this collaboration with PHI may be an indication for the types of future work that they are looking to support. Again, the deadline is June 24th, 2025 (11:59p EDT), and be sure to check out the information session on May 13th at 11am EDT for French speakers, and May 15th at 11am EDT for English speakers. You can tune in to the podcast or check out the transcript down below for more details.

Lucas Martell, the creative mind behind Walkabout Mini Golf and Mighty Coconut Studio, shares his journey from film to game development. He discusses the game's unique blend of worldbuilding and social dynamics, which has cultivated a thriving multiplayer community. Martell reveals the innovative room code system that enhances player connectivity and spontaneous collaboration. He also dives into the challenges of the VR ecosystem, highlighting the importance of community engagement and the continuous evolution of gameplay through thoughtful DLC additions.

asses.masses is a unique, 7-hour, live performance that uses video game logic to expand the narrative possibilities and social dramaturgy of experimental theater. With a single video game controller at the front of a movie theater with lights up so everyone can see each other, the audience must negotiate amongst themselves who will step up to play the next section of a narrative game that spans a wide range of different genres from 8-bit pixel art RPG representing the hyperreal to high-res, 3D open world walking simulators representing a fantasy idealized realm. The audience also has to negotiate how to make hundreds of collective decisions that come up in the game from dialogue tree options to which direction to to go to deciding which set of metaphoric political platform issues that should be prioritized for the ensemble cast of socialist Marxist donkeys. They lean upon the binge-watching culture to split the 7 to 8-hour run time into 10 total episodes split into 2-episode chunks that are broken up by 4 different intermissions where snacks and dinner are provided. Here's a description of the story that's told in this long-form format: The unemployed donkeys have one demand: the humans must surrender their machines and give all donkeys their jobs back. But revolution is never easy! asses.masses is a custom-made video game about labour, technophobia, and sharing the load of revolution, designed to be played from beginning to end in a live theatre. This is gaming as performance, an immersive, cheeky, and highly original work. Brave spectators take turns at the controller to lead the herd through a post-Industrial society, where asses are valued more for their hides than their potential. Confronting automation-driven job loss, nostalgia as a barrier to progress, and the role of technology in adaptation, we are encouraged to find space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us. asses.masses is Animal Farm meets Pokémon meets Final Fantasy, as exciting in form as it is in content. No previous gaming (or donkey) experience required. asses.masses is one of the more unique immersive experiences that I've had a chance to have, especially when it comes to mashing up social behaviors that stem from video game culture, but set within a live theatrical context. I saw asses.masses at PAM CUT (Portland Art Museum's Center for an Untold Tomorrow) here in Portland, OR on March 29th, and I had a chance to remotely catch up with the co-creators Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim to unpack their journey of blending video games into how stories are told in a live theatrical performance. We also explore how they're exploring new modes of social dramaturgy that leverage insights from couch co-op, live Twitch streams, and video game logic where part of the performance is automated through the video game itself, but it's augmented by the emergent social dynamics of the audience that end up reflecting main narrative themes of managing flows of power, community-building, collective decision-making, and in the case of our screening some actual revolt against an theater nerd/gamer audience member turned heel. Overall, the experience allowed the audience to exercise some muscles of social imagination beyond the Capitalist Realism baseline as elaborated by Mark Fisher's work, and there was a turn-taking between the more cathartic mode of Aristotelian drama and breaking the fourth wall of Brecht's distancing effect / alienation effect. The narrative was initially developed to serve a wide range of game-play mechanics in a live theater context, but the spaciousness of the extended run-time allowed them to explore many deeper philosophical, political, and economic topics that most stories do not have the time to get into. The ensemble cast of archetypal characters each have their own arc, and I found that the ending and epilogue really landed and stuck with me. If you have an opportunity to catch an upcoming scre...

Charlotte Mikkelborg is the series director of the Adventure series on Apple TV, which is shot on Apple Immersive Video and co-produced by Atlantic Studios (formerly Atlantic Productions) and Apple. I think it has the strongest storytelling released by Apple so far, and it also has some of the most innovative and cutting edge shots that really show the power of the 180-degree format of Apple Immersive Video. In this conversation, we cover Mikkelborg's 10-year journey into working with immersive formats starting with 360-degree video, multi-sensory VR, and most recently 180-degree video. We also talk about the emerging grammar of 180-degree filmmaking, and the introduction of close ups, which I feel like work sometimes and other times feels almost too close or can feel a bit uncanny or jarring when changing scales or results in warping or other distortions. We also talk about some of the behind-the-scenes insights about the Adventure series. One concerning thing that I noticed after watching all of the Apple Immersive Videos released so far is that many of these videos do not contain any credits for who worked on these projects. I did an audit of all 22 of the published Apple Immersive Videos, and I found that 14 of the 22 don't have any credits at all,. Most of these are by Apple Sentity LLC productions, which is presumably Apple's in-house production team. I found that 5 out of the 22 have partial credits, including the four episodes of the Adventure series as well as Man vs. Beast, which features DGA director Ryan Booth. And there are 3 out of the 22 Apple Immersive Videos that have full and complete credits including Submerged that features DGA director Edward Berger, and the Prehistoric Planet Immersive series, which is a co-production with Fairview Portals. See the table below for more information: It is deeply concerning to me that only 3 out of the 22 Apple Immersive Videos seemingly have full and complete credits. Apple did not provide any comment about why this is or why some of these pieces have no credits, why some have partial credits, and why some have full credits. It is nice to see at least some credits on the Adventure series, which is a co-production between Apple and Atlantic Studios (formerly Atlantic Productions), but they're only listing the director, executive producer, and key talent while all of the other key creative talent are not being credited. Atlantic Productions did not provide any official comment about why there are only partial credits, while a few other productions have full credits and many other productions have no credits. You can see find a partial a list of some of the Adventure series creative talent on IMDB, and episode 3 protagonist Ant Williams posted a partial list of credits on his Instagram announcement post. I was able to get some additional context from Mikkelborg about the credits situation, and it does sounds like the co-productions likely have a bit more leeway in dictating what types of credits are shown. While the Prehistoric Planet Immersive series co-produced by Fairview Portals series has full and complete credits, and the Adventure series by Atlantic Studios only has partial credits. The two Apple Sentity LLC productions that do have credits also happen to be directed by directors who are a part of the Director's Guild of America (DGA). The DGA has specific credits requirements, "For feature films, the Director’s screen credit must be accorded on a separate card, which shall be the last title card appearing prior to principal photography. This credit shall be no less than 50% of the size of the displayed title of the motion picture, or of the largest size in which credit is accorded to any other person, whichever is greater." The rules may be different for immersive productions or emerging media projects, but the director credits for Submerged and Man vs Beast seem to both meet DGA's credits requirements for film.

Ant Williams, a freediving athlete and sports psychologist, shares his thrilling journey in the Apple Adventure Series, including the intense experience of attempting a world record ice dive. He discusses how positive risk-taking helps him manage anxiety and self-doubt. The conversation also dives into the innovations behind Apple’s immersive video technology, showcasing emotional storytelling and the impact of VR. Williams reflects on the mental preparations required for extreme challenges and the transformative power of technology in sharing personal achievements.

Jake Oleson, a director and composer from the realm of advertising and music videos, discusses his groundbreaking VR film, 'CURRENTS.' He unveils innovative 180-degree filmmaking techniques that capture the transition of a woman from rural Vietnam to urban life, using spatial storytelling and a dynamic electronic soundtrack he composed. The detailed pre-production process allowed him to avoid common motion sickness triggers while creating powerful emotional narratives. Oleson also reflects on the future of immersive storytelling and the potential of new technologies like Apple Vision Pro.

Gwenael Francois, director of the award-winning interactive narrative 'Oto's Planet', shares insights on merging tabletop animation with virtual reality. He discusses the unique mechanic of rotating a tiny planet to follow a story that addresses themes of coexistence and colonialism. Francois reveals how the experience varies between platforms, noting the superior quality on Apple Vision Pro compared to Meta's Quest. He also touches on character design challenges and the creative use of untranslatable dialogue that enriches emotional depth in storytelling.

Aditi Rajagopal, Head of Experience Design at Atlantic Studios, shares insights on creating immersive educational experiences. She discusses the groundbreaking 'Cosmos in Focus,' which contextualizes stunning James Webb telescope images in a planetarium setting. The project combines advanced zoom technology with 3D models to deepen understanding of the universe. Aditi also reflects on her transition from AR storytelling at Meta to immersive storytelling, highlighting the power of collaboration between creators and scientists for effective science communication.

Paolo Loeffler, Managing Director at Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig, shares insights into transforming a former power plant into a vibrant digital arts hub. He discusses the evolution of the immersive experience 'Origins – Life's Epic Journey,' highlighting its journey from a complex installation to a captivating three-channel video format showcased at SXSW. The conversation delves into the collaborative artistry behind the project, the innovative use of technology, and the role of immersive storytelling in engaging audiences. A true exploration of art meeting technology!

FLY TO YOU tells the story of Kang Songjeol who was separated from her childhood friends in the aftermath of the 1950 split between North and South Korea. Oral history interviews were captured in 360 video, and her childhood memories were recreated with point scans derived from Leici BLK360 LiDAR scans combined with Azure Kinect volumetric captures. The experience manages to virtually fly over the restricted demilitarized zone into North Korea, which is something that is illegal from them to do physically but serves as a symbolic gesture towards reunification. There are still thousands of families hoping for an opportunity to be reunited, and there's a beautiful spatial memorial that brings home that point at the end of this piece. I had a chance to unpack it all with co-directors Sngmoon Lee and Youngyun Song This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality