As part of the annual Online Film & Game Competition, VR Fest – a rapidly growing VR event concurrent with CES in Las Vegas – has selected finalists for the 2017 Online VR/AR Competition, powered by PassmoreVR. Standout VR studio winners are chosen by public vote from December 15, 2016 to January 1, 2017.
The competition searches out VR projects that stand out from the crowd and utilize burgeoning virtual reality technology to tell stories in striking new ways. Click HERE to vote for your favorite VR projects before January 1, 2017!
Following the poll, a panel of nine judges comprised of VR-industry leaders and pioneers will additionally select winners for the five categories of Best Narrative Film, Best Music Video, Best Commercial, Best Documentary and Best Narrative Animation. All prize winners will be announced from the VR Fest stage, from January 5-7 2017.
All finalists are true standouts in the fields of interactive tech, but we combed the list to share our top picks below:
First Person, ep 4: Las Vegas (Best Live Action Narrative Film)
Courtesy VR Playhouse
A continuation of the First Person 360 video series out of VR Playhouse, the series began in 2014 as an episodic narrative experience where interactions, relationships and intimacy are explored from the “first person perspective.”
VR Noir: A Day Before The Night (Best Live Action Narrative Film)
Courtesy Start VR
Part feature VR film, part interactive crime story thriller, this experience from Australian VR studio Start VR follows detective Veronica Coltrane as she navigates a private investigation she can’t refuse in the midst of her own mounting hardships and dark past.
Enter the Mind of Jack (Best Commercial/Branded Entertainment)
Courtesy VR Playhouse
VR Playhouse and creative agency David & Goliath teamed with Horizon Media, Bart Baker, Daym Drops and Josh Elkin to invite viewers into the “brunchfast”-crazed mind of Jack from Jack in the Box with a full-length psychedelic VR music video.
Shinola 360 Factory Tour with Luke Wilson (Best Commercial/Branded Entertainment)
Courtesy Reel FX
Retailer giant Shinola and production VR company Reel FX utilize the genuine curiosity and bombastic humor of actors Luke and Andrew Wilson to bring viewers on a tour of Shinola’s Detroit Factory, where the brothers peruse where statement watches, bicycles and leather goods are created for the brand.
Not Above That (Best VR Animated Music Video)
Courtesy VR Playhouse
“DAWN: Not Above That” is a custom music video for the R&B great Dawn Richard wholly produced in VR out of VR Playhouse. The experience originally appeared on WIRED in 2016.
Umphrey’s McGee: Puppet String 360° VR (Best Live Action Music Video)
Courtesy Reel FX
The legendary Umphrey’s McGee jumped aboard the VR train with Reel FX to produce a VR music video filmed as an interactive concert-going experience. The music video was eventually nominated for best interactive video at the Austin Music Video Festival alongside contenders such as The Weeknd/Eminem, Run the Jewels and Santigold.
Defying the Nazis VR (Best VR Animated Educational Film or Documentary)
Courtesy VR Playhouse
On the heels of critical acclaim for the PBS Ken Burns documentary “Defying the Nazis,” VR Playhouse in collaboration with TIME, PBS and LIFE VR created a companion VR experience that recreated the legendary 1939 mission to rescue 27 children from Nazi Europe. The experience was directed by Elijah Allan-Blitz and produced with Time, Inc., Artemis Joukowsky and Farm Pond Productions.