Project Overview
In 2016, AFTRS partnered with Sydney-based, start-up production house, Start VR, to explore the possibilities of virtual reality technology for storytelling and to create the pilot episode of an interactive virtual reality narrative. This project was completed in six months and involved cross-disciplinary collaboration, student training and inclusive practice. The approach was ‘high risk for high reward’ and the process from concept through to final asset was iterative and experimental.
The resulting interactive virtual reality experience, VR Noir: a Day Before the Night, is a ground-breaking entertainment experience that is being recognised for innovation globally (Proto Award nomination for Most Innovative, 2016).
AFTRS provided broad access to the project outcomes when it launched VR Noir as part of the Vivid Ideas Sydney 2016 program and through its presentation at the Melbourne International Film Festival, ACMI Game Changer, Antenna Documentary Film Festival Horizons Installation, AFTRS Open Day and to regional audiences at the Dungog Film Festival.
About the story
VR Noir: A Day Before The Night is an interactive crime thriller available on Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard (iOS & Android). Audiences are invited to play the role of detective Veronica Coltrane, a burnt out private detective with mounting debts and a dark past.
Throughout the investigation, audiences are caught up in a high stakes drama, compelled to engage with local characters and virtual environments, forced to make difficult choices, solve puzzles and use their powers of observation to propel the storyline forward.
Platform: Gear VR and Google Cardboard