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Feature Film ‘We Met In Virtual Reality’ Shot Entirely In ‘VRChat’

October 25, 2021 From vrscout

The experimental documentary showcases how social VR technology can affect our emotional and social relationships.

We Met in Virtual Reality is a 90-minute feature documentary that tells the story of five different members of the VRChat community through their own voices as they navigated romance, friendships, and self-discovery in the virtual as well as the real world.

Filmed entirely in VR during the height of the COVID pandemic, the film’s director, Joe Hunting, spent hours in VRChat using Hirabiki’s VRCLens, a cinematic quality virtual camera, to capture candid moments of people as they coped with global lockdown restrictions using social VR. 



For Hunting, who is a filmmaker in the real world, the film was about finding real people who turned to VRChat to satisfy their social needs. He ultimately discovered a community of users who genuinely cared for each other and who wanted to give back to the technology that brought them all together. 

Hunting sat down with VRScout to talk about his film, We Met in Virtual Reality, which is filmed entirely in VR, telling me, “The film presents an immersive journey through the world and different VRChat communities. Each individual that you meet shares really unique perspectives on VR and each engages with their community in different ways. For them, VR means very different things,” adding, “Through their eyes, the film presents a very broad portrait on how social VR can affect our emotional and social relationships with each other, but also within ourselves.”

Though the film explores different communities in VRChat, it primarily follows the lives of five specific people and how they use VRChat as a way to connect with others from around the world. Each individual is addressed by their respective avatar names in the film; at no point do we learn their real-world identities. 

‘We Met in VRChat’ creator Joe Hunting / Image Credit: Joe Hunting

Jenny is n ASL (American Sign Language) teacher who spends time in VRChat’s ‘Helping Hands’ community helping to create a supportive educational environment for all hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing VR users. 

Dragonheart and IsYourBoi met each other in the exotic dance world ‘Club Zodiac’ where they now serve as official admins. They are also a couple who have never met in the real world.

Lastly, you’ll meet DustBunny and Toaster. DustBunny is a VRChat fitness instructor specializing in VR dance classes. Toaster is DustBunny’s long-distance partner. The two have met once in the real world. Since the pandemic, however, the two have used social VR technology to continue to grow their relationship.

Jenny, an ASL teacher in VRChat / Image Credit: Joe Hunting

Despite taking place in VR, conversations with the aforementioned subjects feel incredibly raw. “I want people to connect with these voices and feel their emotions in the same way that they would as if they were in the real world, but also the film is so much about expression and having fun, and being playful, and embracing a new side of yourself that maybe you’ve never discovered before.” Hunting continues by saying, “I want people to walk away from the film feeling inspired and excited to embrace their own individuality, whatever that might be.” 

When asked if there was a specific moment in the film that resonated with Hunting, he hesitated, afraid to spoil a certain part of the film. “It was a real testament of what VR can mean for someone, and for them, it meant a great deal,” adding, “that was a really special moment to be a part of. And there are other moments in the film which made me realize how precious social VR is for people.”

VR fitness instructor DustBunny and Toaster / Image Credit: Joe Hunting

Hunting and his team were all in during the production of the film. So much so the creator was treated to his own virtual birthday party conducted inside VRChat. “During production in June, it was my birthday and I had a birthday party with the cast, everyone involved in the film, and friends from the real world. And I had this birthday party in VRChat. With this outdoor world with picnic benches. We had a DJ. I was in that world for about 10 hours speaking with people and just enjoying my time. It was such a special experience, and I’m so grateful for everything that happened on that day. That moment really floored me. That’s when I realized that I had found my people and tribe.” 

We Met in Virtual Reality doesn’t focus on the technology behind VR. Instead, it highlights the human side of immersive technology. As for if Hunting has met anyone in the film in real life or in their physical form through a video call? He has not. At least not yet. “If the film is selected for festivals, the cast and I will definitely take the opportunity to meet physically to attend screenings together, which I sincerely hope happens. That’d be a lovely bow tie on the whole project.”

Dragonheart and IsYourBoi, admins of Club Zodiac in ‘VRChat’ / Image Credit: Joe Hunting

Hunting has submitted his film to several film festivals, including Sundance, SXSW Film, Glasgow International, Hot Docs Film Festival, Dublin International Film Festival, and SF International with plans for the Tribeca Film Festival.

Hunting has launched an IndieGogo campaign to help him pay for music licensing, which is still required in order to release the film. Funds will also help with submission fees to other film festivals. If you’d like to donate to Hunting’s campaign or would like to know more about his movie, click here. 

You can also follow Hunting on his website, Twitter, and on Instagram. 

We Met in Virtual Reality and Hunting have no affiliation with VRChat. This is an independently crafted film produced in collaboration with communities on the platform. 

Feature Image Credit: Joe Hunting

Filed Under: News, pc vr, VR filmmaking, VRChat

‘Space Explorers’: First Look At VR Footage Of Outer Space

August 27, 2021 From vrscout

The Emmy-nominated VR series breaks new ground with the first-ever 3D, 360-degree footage shot outside the ISS.

Felix & Paul, the Emmy Award-winning studio behind critically acclaimed immersive experiences such as Traveling While Black and Gymnasia, announced some exciting news today regarding its Primetime Emmy-nominated VR series Space Explorers. Using an “Outer Space Camera” attached to a “Space Crane,” the company has captured what they describe as the first-ever 3D, 360-degree footage shot outside the International Space Station.



Episode One of the ongoing series, ADAPT, premiered last year to critical acclaim. Earlier this year the company debuted Episode Two, ADVANCE, which shined a spotlight on the many accomplishments of women in space. The one-of-a-kind series has garnered praise from critics as well as audiences for its highly immersive scenes, so much so it was recently selected for Venice VR Expanded’s “Best Of” section.Developed in partnership with NASA and TIME Studios, Space Explorers is the first-ever VR series shot aboard the International Space Station.

Rather than train a film crew for space travel, the astronauts themselves served as the cast, crew, and narrators for the project. The result is an unparalleled look at the lives of these modern-day explorers, from the incredible work their doing aboard the ISS to the smaller moments that make up their day-to-day routines. In the end, the team managed to capture over 200 hours of cinematic 360-degree footage in addition to 18 hours of video logs and interviews.

  • Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios
  • Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

“Over the past 20 years, very few people have journeyed to the International Space Station. Through the power of immersive storytelling, we can now bring hundreds of millions of spectators aboard this extraordinary spacecraft that circles the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, to experience how astronauts live and to marvel at the beauty of Earth seen from Space,” said Félix Lajeunesse, co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios and director of the EMMY-nominated Space Explorers series in an official release.

“After two years of filming and over 200 hours of footage captured aboard the Space Station in 360-degree 3D virtual reality, it is truly gratifying to share this experience with viewers around the world.”

  • Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios
  • Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

Up until this point, all of the footage featured in the series has been shot from within the International Space Station. Today’s announcement represents a major milestone in VR filmmaking, supposedly marking the first time 3D, 360-degree footage has been shot in outer space.

In order to accomplish this monumental task, the team at Felix & Paul created their own “Outer Space Camera” by strengthening a Z-Cam V1 Pro camera with Nanoracks to survive the harsh conditions of space. They also outfitted the device with custom lenses to withstand the incredible light and heat emitted by the Sun. This Outer Space Camera was then strapped to a “Space Crane” where it was able to capture up to 15 hours of cinematic 3D, 360-degree footage at a single time.

Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

“Capturing the Earth in stereoscopic 3D, 360-degree format from space, outside the space station, has never been attempted until now,” added Jonathan Woods, Executive Producer of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience at TIME Studios and Emmy-winning producer of A Year in Space. “It’s beyond exciting and surreal to see this happening, knowing that the dream for this ambitious project started over five years ago in 2015.”

Experience life outside the ISS when Episode Four launches on Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift headsets in January 2022. Episode Three of the series is set to launch in a couple of months.

Episodes Two and Three are available now via the Oculus Store for $2.99 each.

To learn more about how this incredible project came to be, you can check out some behind-the-scenes footage here.

Feature Image Credit: Felix & Paul Studios

Filed Under: News, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, VR filmmaking

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