VR Days
Description
Our popular VR Days program returns for a second year, and now spans multiple days of immersive storytelling. Come experience some of this year’s finest storytelling in virtual reality and meet the artists behind this cutting-edge medium. From an Oscar-nominated animated short (Pearl) to interactive re-enactments of historic battles (My Brother’s Keeper) to cinematic dance on camera (Through You), this year’s lineup showcases a diverse slate of the best in VR.
Held at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, VR Days celebrates the great work coming out of the Bay Area and from around the world, with projects from Oculus, Google, New York Times VR, and more. Check out the best of virtual reality as well as a robust series of panels with some of the thought leaders in this field.
Gear sign-ups: April 9 & 10 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Panels: April 9-11 at the Festival Lounge (667 Mission Street)
Tickets grant access to hour-long slots on VR gear along with admission to all VR Days panels.
VR DAYS PANELS: conVRsations
All conVRsations will be held at the Festival Lounge at 667 Mission Street
conVRsation: Animated Worlds
Sunday, April 9 from 1:00-2:00 pm
Meet the makers behind ASTEROIDS! and Pearl (2017 Academy Award nominated) from Google Spotlight Stories. The ASTEROIDS! team will share their latest work which pushes the boundaries of the interactive animation experience, while Pearl team discusses telling this story in both traditional 2D format and virtual reality.
Panelists: David Eisenmann (Pearl/Google Spotlight Stories), Larry Cutler (ASTEROIDS!/Baobab Studios), Julia Hamilton Trost (Google/Daydream)
conVRsation: Cinematic Narratives
Sunday, April 9 from 3:00-4:00 pm
Some of the leading voices in narrative VR work share their artistic process. Directors, producers, and composers with work from Felix & Paul Studios, The New York Times, and Oculus will lift the veil of mystery around telling great stories in virtual reality.
Panelists: Lucy Walker (Filmmaker), Mark Degli Antoni (Through You), Lily Baldwin (Through You), Armando Kirwin (L.A. Noir/NYT), Ryan Horrigan (Dreams of ‘O’, Felix & Paul Studios), moderated by Diana Williams (Creative Producer of the Lucasfilm Story Group)
conVRsation: Shooting Great Stories
Monday, April 10 from 3:00-4:00 pm
Learn how to turn your VR idea from concept to reality. Artists pushing the boundaries of the form will demystify the creative process of development through production,
offering a deep dive into the shoot itself. The artists highlight the great work being shot on Nokia’s OZO Camera. You’ll leave inspired to make your own!
Panelists: Csilla Kozma (Nokia), Joshua Rubin (The Argos File), Josema Roig (The Argos File), Sam Macaroni (VR maker)
conVRsation: Youth-Produced 360 Film
Tuesday, April 11 from 3:00-4:00 pm
The 360 Filmmakers Challenge, directed by Digital Promise Global as part of the Oculus VR for Good initiative, is the only formal program in which students are invited to be creators of 360° video content. Join the Digital Promise Global and Oculus staff, students and teachers in a discussion of methods to support teachers and empower students to tell their stories using the full 360° canvas.
Panelists: Dimitri Moore (Digital Promise Global – Video Producer and Storytelling Coach), Chelsea Waite (Digital Promise Global – Program Director for Global Learning)
Timothy Brand (Teacher-Sequoia High School), Genesis Lopez Alejandres (student filmmaker, Sequoia High School), Parisa Zagat (Head of Oculus Policy Programs)
VR DAYS FILMS
The below includes all films available to watch via gear sign-ups.
The Argos File*
In the year 2029 you are a Memory Investigator for the Neuro Crimes Task Force whose job it is to solve murders by entering the memories of the dead. Directed by Josema Roig.
ASTEROIDS!*
Journey the cosmos aboard the spaceship of Mac and Cheez, and alien duo so mission-focused that they forget what’s important in life. Its up to you, the crew, to show them what really matters. Directed by Eric Darnell (Baobab Studios).
Dreams of ‘O’*
A Felix & Paul Studios and Cirque du Soleil production. A VR adaptation of Cirque du Soleil’s “O.” Directed by Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael.
Great Performers: L.A. Noir*
Step into the world of “L.A. Noir” through a series of nine groundbreaking virtual reality films starring the year’s best actors-and you. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ami Canaan Mann, and Armando McIntyre-Kirwin (VR).
Iceland is Melting
The ‘Land of Fire & Ice’ is on the brink. Fly over Iceland’s most famous natural wonders and discover how climate change could make it all disappear. Directed by Lewis Whyld and Bronte Lord.
My Brother’s Keeper*
Two young brothers fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War unknowingly reunite one last time on the battlefield of Antietam. Directed by Connor Hair and Alex Meader (PBS).
Pearl*
A lyrical roadtrip through the lives of an aspiring musician and his young daughter. Directed by Patrick Osborne (Google).
This is What the Future Looked Like
A virtual reality ode to Buckminster Fuller and his signature design, the geodesic dome. Original soundtrack by Yo La Tengo. Directed by Sam Greene and Gary Hustwit.
Through You*
Through You is an athletically vibrant and sensual exploration of love across a lifetime by director/dancer Lily Baldwin and director/technologist Saschka Unseld. Directed by Lily Baldwin and Saschka Unseld.
UTURN*
What happens when a young female coder joins a male-dominated startup that’s deep in an identity crisis? Experience both sides of the gender divide. Directed by Nathalie Mathe, Justin Chin, and Ryan Lynch.
Virtual Virtual Reality*
A game about VR, AI and our collective sci-fi hallucinations. Directed by Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzaro.
Zero Days VR*
A destructive cyber weapon targeting an Iranian nuclear facility spreads around the world instigating the next wave of modern warfare. Directed by Yasmin Elayat.
*Indicates makers in attendance.