One hundred and twenty creative leaders in VR, video games, TV, movies, theater and traditional entertainment gathered on February 19, 2015 to discuss the emerging language of VR storytelling.
Following two sessions of presentations and group discussions, the participants broke into five moderated working groups. The working groups discussed their current thinking on the topic: what approaches carry over from other artistic media; and what issues, approaches, and concerns are new to the VR environment? A report pulling together the thoughts of this community was published.
The panelists and presenters were:
Matt Apfel, vp, strategy & creative content, Samsung Media Solutions Center America
Danny Bilson, writer/director/producer (EA, THQ, Warner Bros., Disney)
Mark Bolas, director, Mixed Reality Lab, associate director, USC’s ICT, associate professor, USC’s SCA Interactive Media Division
Philip Lelyveld, sr. program manager, ETC
Alex McDowell, narrative designer, creative director, 5D GlobalStudio, Professor of Practice, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Media Arts + Practice (Intel’s “Leviathan,” “Minority Report,” “Watchmen”)
Charlie Otte, creative director, Thinkwell (Guthrie, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Jon Snoody, R&D studio executive, Walt Disney Imagineering (“Captain EO,” “Indiana Jones™ Adventure,” “Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride”)
Sean Stewart, founder, Three Story House (former CD Xbox Studios, award-winning novelist, co-creator ARG genre)
VR experience demos were provided by Samsung Electronics America, Jaunt, Assimilate, Emblematic, Funktronics Labs, InnerSpace VR, Metaverse Systems, Nurulize, Otherworld Interactive, Reel FX, VRSE, VisiSonics, and WEVR (formerly WemoLab).