In Virtual Reality News
September 20, 2022 – Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has recently unveiled the new program ‘Signals,’ presented by VIFF and DigiBC, will take place from October 1–3, and has also announced speakers for VIFF Amp from October 6–9. Signals is a unique interactive exhibition that investigates the potential of creative technologies in storytelling. VIFF Amp explores the art and business of music in film from all facets of the production process. All programs will be held in-person, with select components available online.
“The industry has long recognized it, but we often don’t celebrate the incredible technology and talent in our own backyard,” said Loc Dao, Executive Director of DigiBC and Signals Co-curator. “For our inaugural edition, we’re thrilled to present made in BC works by Indigenous and settler artists that celebrate the creative power, playfulness, and storytelling potential of new technologies. Visitors will have a chance to discover works created in the convergent space where storytelling meets virtual production, volumetric capture, holograms, wearable technology, VR, AR, and XR.”
Signals will take place from October 1–2 at Emily Carr University’s Integrated Motion Studio featuring LED wall tech from Showmax and Departure Lounge, located in the Centre for Digital Media. The exhibition is co-curated by Loc Dao, Debi Wong (Founding Artistic Director of re:Naissance Opera), and Loretta Todd (Co-founder of IM4). Highlights will include:
- A world premiere of new work in ‘Sanctuary: A Tale of Two Forests’ by Damien Gillis, Cease Wyss, and Olivier Leroux, which takes guests on an ecological adventure through two distinct and threatened BC rainforests;
- This is Not a Ceremony by Colin van Loon, which bears witness to the darker side of living life in Canada while Indigenous;
- Live From the Underworld by re:Naissance Opera, an operatic descent into the underworld using real-time motion capture (MOCAP) and dramatic avatars puppeted by live performers; and
- The Dark, a volumetric capture video that will create an immersive audiovisual experience as part of an upcoming music video featuring Monstercat artists WHIPPED CREAM, Jasiah, and Crimson Child.
Also part of Signals is ‘V-Unframed,’ an immersive digital art exhibition that takes place entirely using virtual reality (VR), presented by l’Alliance Française. This will mark the exhibition’s fourth edition, and will take place both in-person and online from Oct. 1–3 at the Centre for Digital Media. For more information, click here.
VIFF Amp will launch this year with a public keynote at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre featuring two-time Emmy-nominated composer Michael Abels. The intimate one-night only event will offer insights into Abels’ process, featuring live performances of his music by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
“Vancouver is an international hotbed for visual media — and a global gateway for all related creative communities. And yet, the enormous impact of the city and province’s music community on the world stage is often underappreciated or overlooked,” said Tony Scudellari, VIFF Amp Co-curator and Senior VP of Television Music at Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Amp allows us to shine a spotlight on some of the province’s extraordinary music-related talent and develop long term business opportunities and creative collaborations with international tastemakers in the music for visual media space.”
For more information on VIFF and this year’s event schedule, please visit the festival’s website.
Image credit: Vancouver International Film Festival
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.