France is known for its beautiful Eiffel Tower along with it’s serene countryside but the country also boasts with a wide range of VR/AR producers. These producers got the chance to showcase their skills at the UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinemas in Paris. It included a wide range of proudly French VR projects as well as an online MyFrench film festival where three VR projects were showcased. Experts have noted that the VR industry has been showing significant signs of growth since 2017 as suggested by the fivefold increase in global sales.
The immediate concern for sales agents has been to secure screenings in festivals where VR has already been launched like Venice and Cannes. These VR content has also been shown in public spaces like cafes & art galleries. Maxime Montagne from Wide Management VR stated that the business model seems extremely fragile. The opportunities are still growing all over the world. She mentioned that their expertise as sales agents has allowed them to build up a solid VR network. The company will have a VR booth next to its traditional booth in Berlin’s European Film Market. They have high expectations for the content screened there.
One of the films that the booth will be showcasing is a new 8K version of the Taiwanese VR film, Your Spiritual Temple Sucks. This 10-minute comedy was directed by John Hsu and transports the audience into a spirit world. The movie had its premiere in Sundance in 2018. Since screened at more than 45 film festivals. It has won multiple awards including Best Innovative Storytelling Award at the third annual World VR Forum in 2018. The 8K version of the film will be presented in a 360-degree cinema in China and will be a test case to measure the willingness of consumers to pay for a 360-degree movie.
Directors at the VR film screenings emphasized the importance of the one-month MyFrenchFilmFestival screening and it is an important platform to showcase their work in other countries. MyFFF helps directors in reaching an international audience. It allows VR screenings to become more easily accessible. Directors have noted that the conditions might not be as favorable as one might hope. The audience is much bigger and that is what directors are after. The more people watch the film, the bigger the VR market becomes.
Directors have also expressed their excitement about the future of VR projects. They are looking forward to seeing large-scale projects in the future. They have noted that VR offers an experience that stimulates all the senses. They hope that it will become multi-user social experiences. One of the creators that took part in the festival is busy working on an augmented reality novel that is set to be completed by 2040. Along with this project, there are several other films & games in the pipeline for these creators, the possibilities are endless.
