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Tribeca Film Festival's VR installations show the impact the technology has had



Virtual reality has become extremely pervasive as the technology becomes more accessible to all consumers. Tribeca Film Festival is aware of the format?s dramatic impact and its ability to make storytelling more impactful, and now festivalgoers will be able to interact with a wide range of VR content. 

?The innovation of storytelling in this year?s immersive program is evolving with the innovation of VR technology overall,? said Loren Hammonds programmer, film and experiential at Tribeca Film Festival. ?We are celebrating these creators and the various innovative ways that they?ve chosen to tell their stories. 

?From the team of comic artists working with Oculus Story Studio to illustrate their ?Talking With Ghosts,? to the multiplayer experience of ?Bebylon ? Battle Royale? from Kite + Lightning, we?re seeing new and exciting ways of approaching VR experiences that we believe can and will revolutionize digital entertainment? he said. 

Virtual reality 
Tribeca?s Immersive program is sponsored by AT&T and will feature 29 exhibitions throughout the festival and in addition, Storyscapes and Virtual Arcade. 20 of the VR pieces will be world premieres. 

This is the 16th year for the festival. It will take place in New York April 21. 

New pieces being shown include Marshmallow Laser Feast, Gabo Arora, Baobab Studios, Oculus Story Studios, Penrose Studios, and Within.

Attendees will be able to stop by and interact with the content and view the films through various virtual reality devices. 

Evolution of storytelling
The VR launch comes on the heels of Tribeca Film Festival?s innovative contest last year.  

The Tribeca Film Festival hoped to engage younger demographics and bring its storytelling process into the modern age with a contest inviting submissions of comedic content derived from Snapchat. 

Snapchat users were able to enter their videos for a chance to visit the film festival and have their work featured at the big event. The Tribeca Film Festival featured ten 200-second funny stories from the contest picked by a panel of judges, in a campaign to expand its reach to younger demographics.

The film festival partnered with Snapchat for the campaign, allowing users to submit 200-second videos created through the use of the app. Participants had to record and edit their footage on Snapchat only, and could not exceed the 200-second time limit (see more). 

?It?s a very exciting time, as VR has officially moved past its demo phase,? Mr. Hammonds said. ?While still technically a nascent technology, it?s the creators who are leading the charge forward in defining the medium, and our program definitely reflects that.?