ARDEN’S WAKE
At VR on the Lot I got to stop by Penrose Studios booth. It is a San Francisco-based group of artists, engineers and storytellers that push the boundaries of virtual and augmented reality. For them, VR is more than technology, it’s an opportunity to create worlds that offer endless exploration and narrative experiences. They have made award winning VR films in the past like Allumette and The Rose And I. Today they were showing off their latest VR film: Arden’s Wake. Below is my review of it.
A NEW KIND OF CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE
When you watch this, or Allumette, you’re floating slightly above and to the side of everything, like some sort of natural force. Being an invisible giant has its perks, the camera will move you if a change of perspective is required but other than that it’s all up to you; you must move around the area and look through objects and walls to get the full experience. Imagine watching a Pixar film but being able to see what every character is doing in every room, and the details of the entire interior and exterior of a house. Penrose truly builds worlds, not just scenes, and they’re already being called the Pixar of VR.
A SMALL PEAK AT THE BEGINNING
You start out underwater, underneath what seems to be a shipwreck, already you’re naturally trying to avoid debris, dodging left and right out of the way, then you see it. A woman holding her child in her arms slowly sinking down, your first reaction is to try and grab them, save them, and put them in the palm of your hand; but sadly, that’s impossible. Throughout the rest of the short you can see the consequences each character must deal with, and even the consequences of the world, all with minimal dialogue. it’s an amazing feature and it’s only the prologue. My first question, when taking off the headset, was “Where can I watch this again and when can I see more?”
Run time for Arden’s Wake is approximately 15 minutes, and will be available later this year on a variety of VR platforms. By Mike Winningham.
Penrose Studios
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