Putting VR, Volumetric Video in Refresh Mode posted: 17/08/2019
by Andy Marken
Evolution not Revolution
Hope you caught the news...Amazon Prime just launched their VR streaming. They had to because Netflix, Hulu and YouTube already have the service. Well no most of the stuff you watch isnt really VR but at least you get to use your HMD. If youre one of the few who havent experienced VR immersion youll probably put the unit on and say big deal. But we just had a chance to see what a number of volumetric and VR filmmakers are creating and once you do, youll know why creatives are working so hard to bring you into their content. Its better - much better - than last year and the content and VR games are being delivered, watched and played. Yes its good...darn good! And the number of titles continues to grow.
When you attend film festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca and most recently Cannes; all of the attention is on:
The important (and self-important) people
The budget-buster screeners
The budget-scrimping shows - short/long
The important (and self-important) people
Tomorrows opportunities
Its easy to see that everyone will have her/his private entertainment channel to watch content in 8K, then 16K HDR.
Im disappointed, not terribly, but still. It should have gone much further much faster. Its okay, though, I know what the problem is.
The roadmaps are pretty clear, and the mass merchants are ready to push aggressively, even though folks are just slowly beginning to appreciate 4K ... almost everywhere.
But whats around the corner, just over the hill?
What will filmmaking look like in 5-10 years?
At every film festival, theres a corner of the lot roped off for the immersive future, VR (virtual reality).
The mass entertainment market prophets keep telling us every year its going to be huge ... in two years.
Friends like Ted - a gaming industry expert - keep hollering, It isnt hot, sexy; wont be and in fact it was stillborn.
Others, like Jon and Mark - who play endless hours of VR games (theyre testing the stuff), tell us its just getting better and better.
Virtual pros dont have much time to chat at film festivals; but at the IBC Future Zone, the cream of the crop will be able to focus on detailing what they have been doing to push the frontiers of creativity and technology to give us a dose of real reality.
Were gonna listen!
These folks are the creative content people who believe the old saying, The best way to predict the future is to create it.
Naysayers like to point out that todays VR content is usually only 1-10 minutes long because ... you get sick!
They dont realize that in the 1890s when British Photographer Eadward Murbridge developed zoopraxiscope - primitive film devices, the projects were only 1-10 minutes long because the work was tough to do and people probably ... got sick.
It wasnt until the 1920s that films were one hour plus in length and the industry released about eight films a year that were shown in tough-to-find cinemas.
Today, we have thousands of short and long films a year produced and shown everywhere on the planet.
Not long ago, we sat through 3 hours, 2 minutes of the Avengers: Endgame ... twice!
Break Time - As people walk around their real world, they need to periodically take a break and just sit back, relax. The same is true in the virtual world which can be intense and jarring. Relaxing can be rewarding
The goal for creatives has been to help people identify/connect with the main character(s) and make the film/show their own.
VR does that, is doing that, will do that ... one segment, one viewer at a time.
Despite all of the hype, negativism and excitement, its still very new as storytellers leverage technology to help people be a part of and control their content.
At Tribeca, producer/screenwriter Andrew Cochrane and cinematographer Andrew Shulkind captured the Tribeca X Award for the 12-min The 100%, the true story of Maggie Kudirka, a ballet dancer, rising star at the Joffrey Concert Group diagnosed with incurable stage four metastatic breast cancer.
Both are recognized volumetric/VR filmmakers and Shulkind has become widely known for his painterly use of lighting.
Focused - When Andrew Shulkind isnt on a project shoot, he spends his free time trying to determine how volumetric/VR can be improved.
Like many in the field, he began in the real/unreal world of visual-effects heavy workflows and a solid tech foundation.
To deliver what isnt there, Shulkind designed his own 360-degree camera array system -- uncompressed 23K-resolution, 12-bit Headcase Cinema Camera.
Seemingly never satisfied, Shulkind finds the present VR lighting constraints to be the hardest part of the art form.
Since the viewer can see in all directions, hes currently experimenting with new ways to naturalize the medium rather than rely on the top-lit experience common in present VR films.
In Cannes, Diego Prilusky, Intel Studios general manager, said his group has been intent on not just having viewers connect with the character but actually create and intensify the experience for them whether its with a brand, sporting event or film.
With the worlds largest volumetric studio at his teams disposal and in cooperation with Paramount Pictures, they produced Grease 40th Anniversary - Immersive Cinema Experience, one of several immersive projects they unveiled at Cannes.
Planning - Intels Diego Prilusky (standing) believes that while the viewer ultimately controls what she/he sees/experiences, VR and volumetric projects also have to be scripted, planned and focused.
Joining Intel with the acquisition of capture specialist Replay Technologies, the visual effects talent has focused on developing and refining what he calls Data Powered Entertainment.
Todays digital films are still frontal, said Prilusky who has done visual effects work on proj
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
08/01/2026
An evidence-based analysis on disinformation and information manipulation in Sudan's ongoing conflict is published today. (January 8th 2026).
Thomson Found...
08/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
08/01/2026
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify welcomed creators and press to a brunch cel...
08/01/2026
TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Socc...
08/01/2026
The review looks back at DPA's miniature microphone development over the years. It compares the evolving technologies from the original mics through CORE an...
08/01/2026
Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade De...
08/01/2026
Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Tonight, Prime T...
08/01/2026
The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition
Lisa Canny | Kevin...
08/01/2026
It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...
07/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
07/01/2026
We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...
07/01/2026
This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...
07/01/2026
Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...
06/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
06/01/2026
Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...
06/01/2026
Channel 4 and UKTV are giving viewers even more reasons to stream, with UKTV's U service set to feature thousands of hours of free, unmissable and bingeable...
06/01/2026
Tuesday 6 January 2026
An update on our Sky Mobile prices
Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky
Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...
06/01/2026
Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Sh...
06/01/2026
Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Foll...
05/01/2026
Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR M S FOToS defined the sound of 2025 for listeners eve...
05/01/2026
As the clock struck midnight and 2026 was born, so was an exciting range of new ...
05/01/2026
These Sacred Vows starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'...
05/01/2026
DANDANCING WITH THE STARS RETURNS TO SHAKE UP SUNDAY NIGHTS
Reigning Rose of Tr...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
The Quantum 852 is situated in the 6,500-seat Seoul-based place of worship, a church which is home to a 1,000-person choir and a 50-piece orchestra. There are f...
01/01/2026
Formed in 2002, OneRepublic have enjoyed huge international success, with over 18 billion streams on Spotify alone. Their current tour, Escape to Europe, contin...
01/01/2026
We had been using the club's previous console for the last ten years, so we researched manufacturer information very carefully, says venue audio manager Mr...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
Putting VR, Volumetric Video in Refresh Mode posted: 17/08/2019 
