VR Movies

Eli Roth’s BE MINE: A VR Valentine’s Slasher Revealed

January 18, 2023 From vrscout

The horror icon is back with yet another immersive experience for Quest headsets.

Eli Roth, director of iconic horror films such as Hostel and Cabin Fever, is returning to VR with a new horror experience. Written by Roth and directed by Adam MacDonald, Eli Roth’s BE MINE: A VR Valentine’s Slasher tells the story of Becca (played by Peyton List), a young girl being stalked by a murderous psychopath wearing a Cupid mask.

According to Meta, the combination 180 and 360-degree film is around 30 minutes long and will be available on Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets via Meta Quest TV and Horizon Worlds, Meta’s own social VR metaverse. Meta will be hosting a special premiere event in Horizon Worlds at 7pm PT on February 10th. You’ll also be able to watch the short film on Facebook and Instagram.

“I had the most incredible experience making Trick-VR-Treat with Meta, and we wanted to push the experience even further with BE MINE, creating a true narrative experience where you’re at the center of a slasher film,” said Roth in an official release.

“I wrote BE MINE knowing what worked best in VR, but pushing the boundaries with new ideas and techniques, and the results are nothing short of thrilling. We have created a true immersive horror experience. I have been a huge fan of Adam MacDonald for a long time, and what he and the incredible cast brought to life is something unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I think horror fans are going to absolutely love it. Get ready, it’s a bloody good time.”

Eli Roth’s BE MINE: A VR Valentine’s Slasher premiers at 7pm PT on February 10th on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro headsets. The film was produced by Crypt TV and Roth in collaboration with Cream Productions. For more information visit here.

Image Credit: Meta

VR Show Behind The Dish Is A Mouth-Watering Delight

December 14, 2022 From vrscout

Go behind the scenes of the culinary world in this beautifully shot episodic series.

The Meta Quest TV app features no shortage of immersive 360-degree content to enjoy, from groundbreaking VR series like Space Explorers: An ISS Experience to live concerts featuring popular artists such as the Foo Fighters and Billie Eilish.

Available now on Meta Quest TV, Behind the Dish is the latest VR series to hit Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro VR headsets, offering viewers a mouth-watering look at high-end cuisine brought to life in incredible detail using a custom-designed 3D macro camera system.

Developed by the Emmy-nominated VR studio TARGO in partnership with Meta, the three-part series follows three female chefs “reshaping a male-dominated industry.” This includes 6-Michelin-star French Chef Helène Darroze, Soul Food Chef Deborah VanTrece, and Sushi Master Yumi Chiba.

“Behind the Dish highlights the journeys of three chefs who made it to the top by being unapologetically
authentic,” said TARGO in an official release. “Hélène Darroze had the courage to put an end to a century-old family restaurant and became the most renowned French chef.”

“Yumi Chiba survived breast cancer by turning the art of sushi-making into her source of solace and self-expression,” added the team. “Deborah VanTrece redefined her life and career as an African-American lesbian flight attendant to become a Soul Food chef fascinated with other cultures.”

In addition to shining a spotlight on the inspirations and impacts of each chef, Behind the Dish also offers an unprecedented look at various cuisines filmed in 8K 3D 360° video using a custom 3D macro camera system. VR brings each dish to life in stunning detail, from Chef Deborah VanTrece’s delicious-looking mac-n-cheese to Sushi Master Yumi Chiba’s Edomae sushi.

Watching the series on Meta Quest Pro I was absolutely blown away by the incredible use of macro 3D video. Close-up shots look nothing short of stunning when viewed on a VR headset in immersive stereoscopic 3D. Watching Sushi Master Yumi Chiba expertly slice through fish in slow motion was an incredibly satisfying experience.

All three episodes of Behind the Dish are available now on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro VR headsets. Simply visit the Meta Quest TV app and look for the Behind the Dish playlist.

For more information on this VR gastronomy series visit here.

Image Credit: TARGO

Interview: Director Of HBO Doc We Met In Virtual Reality

August 1, 2022 From vrscout

Learn how the most interesting documentary of 2022 came to be.

We Met In Virtual Reality is a new feature-length documentary film that follows the stories of five individuals using VR technology to connect with each other and the world in a variety of a unique and throught-provoking ways. The entirety of the film was shot in VRChat, a social VR platform where users can create and explore their own virtual worlds using custom avatars.

The film was directed by Joe Hunting, an experienced filmmaker and documentary photorapher, who spent hours inside VR chatting with the community. Along the way, he gained a better understanding of the tremendous role immersive technology plays in some peoples lives, from a dance instructor using VR and body trackers to conduct online body dancing classes or a sign language teacher leading a community of deaf users.

We recently had the chance to sit down with Hunting to learn more about the inspiration behind the film and what the future of communication and storytelling looks like using the power of immersive technology looks like in his eyes:

How exactly did this project come to be? Did you happen to be recording in VR when you came across these incredible stories or did you begin with the express purpose of putting this film together?

“The inspiration came from a lot of different things, really. I came into VR specifically VRChat, the platform the documentary’s filmedm in 2018 , and was making other films. I made two short films in a series and very quickly I was interested in a documentary and capturing stories about socialization and the culture of VRChat and how this platform was helping people and pushing for good motivations with the technology.”

Left: Director Joe Hunting / Right: Director Joe Hunting

“It’s really the pandemic that made me start filming and capturing my lived experience, and through immersing myself in different communities and meeting different people and finding stories that spoke truth to me, the film started to find itself and it was born. It was a year of filming in total.”

The film covers a myriad of relationships and connections made in the metaverse. Was there any moment in particular that resonated with you?

“Oh gosh, I think that’s such a great question. In the trailer, we see someone in a wedding dress. So it’s not a spoiler to say that there is a wedding in the film. And that wedding, to me, spoke so much truth in how relationships can be celebrated online and in VR.”

“And that whole wedding, capturing that and working with [users] DragonHeart and IsYourBoi on celebrating their day and wedding their avatars in this virtual utopian event, that was so incredible and such a euphoric moment that I will never forget, and never could have planned as well. So the virtual wedding certainly was a highlight of the whole production and the film as well. And I really hope people enjoy that scene.”

That was such a special moment in a film littered with incredible interactions. I also noticed that many of the films’ subjects were outwardly passionate about VRChat. What do you think separates the platform from other metaverse’s?

“That’s a great question. I think every social VR platform has its own committed and amazing community and VRChat is no more or less than any other platform. But I can definitely say that the VRChat community, to me, I’ve felt so much more immersed in the space. And I think the biggest reason for that is embodiment in your avatar and also the freedom of creativity and expression as well.”

“VRChat is a platform where you can create your avatar from scratch in Blender and Unity and also create world from scratch and that’s given people the ability to express themselves in a way of complete freedom. And I think the ability to do that has brought communities together in a much more rich sense in the way that we accept each other for who we express ourselves.”

That’s a fantastic summarization. I love the idea of VRChat evolving into the “Wild West” of VR. It’s as terrifying as it is exciting.

“That’s a great way to put it. It certainly feels like the Wild West of VR and that’s a really wonderful term. It’s a place of freedom with its own issues, but also it’s deeply emotional at points and has reached so many people in such a great way, which. I hope the film recognizes.”

I was pleasently surprised by how cinematic the film was. It really got me thinking about the potential of VRChat as a storytelling device. Have you thought at all about directing a fictional film and/or series?

“I love that question. I think it’s so exciting to be apart of the forefront of this new cinematic language. I think VR is very similar to animation but also very similar to live action. It almost feels like it’s own genre in terms of technical production. My intention is certainly to help it grow and keep pushing the virtual production tools that we have in the VR tech community, but also in the greater scope of VR as well.”

“In terms of my own personal interest, I can say documentary is such a fascinating world to explore through VR. To me, filming in VR has always been a vessel to tell human stories about people and culture. Fiction is certainly a whole new world and one that I am certainly interested to explore. To answer your question, I’m not sure if I’m going to go straight into that, but it’s definitely something I’m considering after working in documentary for a long time.”

We Met In Virtual Reality is available now to stream via HBO Max. For more information on the film visit here.

Image Credit: Joe Hunting

VR Documentary We Met In Virtual Reality Will Air On HBO

July 11, 2022 From vrscout

The feature-length film was shot entirely in VR and follows the journey of five individuals.

VR technology can be a powerful tool for connecting with others. Just ask Joe Hunting, a filmmaker who spent hours on the popular social VR platform VRChat chatting with users from around the world about the social impact of immersive technology.

Shot during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, We Met in Virtual Reality is an upcoming documentary from Hunting that follows the lives of five specific individuals using VRChat and modern VR technology to connect with others in a variety of unique ways. The 90-minute film was shot entirely in VR; at no point do we learn the real-world identities of its subjects.

“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,” said Hunting during an interview with VRScout, 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.”

The film was originally announced back in 2021, at which point Hunting launched an Indie Gogo campaign to help fund music licensing and submission fees to other film festivals.

Earlier today, Hunting made the exciting announcement that the feature-length documentary will be premiering later this month on HBO. Beginning July 27th, We Met in Virtual Reality will be available for streaming on HBO Max, offering mainstream subscribers an inside look into one of the most fascinating VR communities currently occupying the metaverse.

“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 continued by saying, “I want people to walk away from the film feeling inspired and excited to embrace their own individuality, whatever that might be.”

In celebration of the announcement, IGN has dropped an exclusive new trailer that teases a surprisingly emotional journey featuring a number of virtual worlds, communities, and relationships.

For more information check out our original coverage here.

Image Credit: Joe Hunting