Raindance Film Festival launches VR awards and masterclasses
David Farnor | On 23, May 2017
Raindance Film Festival, the UK’s largest indie film festival, is embracing virtual reality in a very real way.
The festival, which held a showcase of VR shorts last year, is introducing Raindance VRX Awards for this year’s event, as well as a dedicated virtual reality strand within the festival running alongside the main Official Selection.
The new awards will celebrate pioneering VR experiences by independent creators from around the world, aptly arriving in Raindance’s 25th year of supporting and schooling indie filmmakers.
The winners in 10 categories will be announced at the 25th Raindance Film Festival. They are:
1. Best Interactive Narrative Experience
2. Best Mobile Interactive Experience
3. Best Cinematic Narrative Experience
4. Best Documentary Experience
5. Best Music Experience
6. Best Animation Experience
7. Best Branded Experience
8. Best Sensual Experience
9. Best Social Impact Experience
10. Best Sound Design Experience
In addition, Raindance will continue to nurture and embrace education opportunities for creators and new talent by offering a number of VR courses taught by leading practitioners in the field. These include Virtual Reality 101 and Distribution Models, Crafting VR Experiences for Social Change and Impactc 1-to-1, the Power of Intimacy in VR, Creative Storytelling and Narratives in VR + A Live Avatar in AltspaceVR, a Hands-On Virtual Reality Workshop and a Saturday VR Film School.
Some of the VR masterclasses will take place simultaneously in virtual reality with speakers turned into live Avatars in partnership with AltspaceVR.
“We are thrilled to be launching Raindance VRX awards and new courses for virtual reality. We believe VR is a powerful new medium and the most exciting change in filmmaking since the onslaught of internet distribution,” says Elliot Grove, Founder of Raindance Film Festival.
The Raindance VR strand will take place throughout the 25th Raindance Film Festival from 20th September to 1st October 2017 in London. It will feature a VR arcade and a packed schedule of events with industry experts covering new advances in virtual reality narratives and technologies.
Mária Rakušanová, Director of VR and New Media at Raindance, adds: “Raindance aims to champion pioneering virtual reality experiences and nurture a new generation of talent. We are thrilled to partner with AltspaceVR to bring Raindance VR masterclasses to their social VR platform and reach creators around the world. As the possibilities of VR technologies continue to grow, more and more exciting opportunities for creators will arise.”
Submissions for VR experiences are open. For further information on how to submit visit: www.raindancefestival.org/virtual-reality