Banshee Chapter – The First Feature Film Released on Oculus Rift
Banshee Chapter is a low budget horror film produced by Zachary Quinto. The film which was already shot in 3D is going to be the very first feature to hit the Oculus Rift.
The full length film is all set to b released on Oculus Rift headsets. The film is loosely based on a short story called ‘From Beyond’ written by H.P. Lovecraft. It follows a journalist who is looking into a mysterious disappearance of her old college friend and his strange connection with an experimental mind-altering government drug test. The movie stars Sleepy Hollow’s Katia Winter as a journalist, Ted Levine and Michael McMillian among others. All three actors are well known faces in the industry. The film is directed by a first time director Blair Erickson.
Banshee Chapter was converted into an immersive experience by studio Jamwix. Engineer Bill Booth stated that the movie was revamped for the Oculus Rift with the help of a software called Chimera that causes simulation of viewers being the inside the scenes. However, instead of 360 degree view, the movie has only a 120 degree view. He told Mashable that the simulation lets the viewer look left and right within the scene and track head position to display that portion of the movie in complete motion and depth. Due to a rather powerful and genuine result, the viewers feel as if they are inside the movie.
Jamwix has basically used Banshee Chapter as an example to show that their software Chimera can convert movies into 3D, virtual reality experience on Oculus Rift devices. Facebook, who bought Oculus VR in March 2014, is keeping close track on the response of Banshee Chapter’s on Oculus Rift. Previously, studios only offered short experiences through Oculus Rift headsets such as Interstellar and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Banshee Chapter will be the very first film to provide full length experience. The director Erickson said in an interview, ‘This is an incredibly exciting moment for technology and entertainment. We were thrilled to begin unlocking the potential of the next generation storytelling experiences in virtual reality.’
Banshee Chapter: Oculus Rift Edition
For more information on Banshee Chapter and its release on the virtual reality platform, Oculus Rift, please visit:
http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/banshee-chapter-first-film-released-on-oculus-rift-1201338518/
http://deadline.com/2014/10/oculus-rift-banshee-chapter-first-virtual-reality-film-859616/
https://share.oculusvr.com/app/banshee-chapter-oculus-rift-edition
