Virtual reality hubs to launch in three Dutch cinemas, supported by IDFA - Screen International

IDFA Doc Lab is giving its enactment to the New Reality intiative to make virtual world (VR) hubs successful 3 starring arthouse cinemas successful the Netherlands, that is being launched adjacent period by Benelux distributor Cassette Stories, tally by erstwhile Cinemien managing director  Babette Wijntjes. It is simply a uncommon illustration of a European organisation institution handling VR contented successful cinemas successful a commercialized context.

“We are supporting it successful immoderate mode we can,” said Caspar Sonnen, caput of caller media and IDFA DocLab, ”For now, we’re pursuing the project, getting the connection out, helping with programming and suggesting programme projects, putting our web in.” 

Earlier this year, the inaugural secured €250,000 backing from Europa Cinemas, Cultuurloket DigitALL and from exhibitors.

The 3 cinemas progressive successful the scheme, are Lantaren Venster successful Rotterdam, the LUX successful Nijmegen and the Schuur successful Haarlem. 

The thought is to amusement 360 grade VR projects successful the main auditoriums of the cinemas to a corporate assemblage of 30 viewers, each with their ain headsets.

“We volition connect the dependable to the dependable installation of the cinemas truthful you don’t request headphones,” Wijntjes explained.

The institution is moving unneurotic with French VR specialists Diversion Cinema lawsuit bureau connected the groundbreaking project.

Wijntjes described the initiative, presently being tally connected a nine-month aviator basis, arsenic “the instauration of VR to a wide audience.” 

”[The VR screenings] are not going to regenerate movie screenings,” she said. ”A movie starts astatine 5pm, finishes astatine 7pm and the adjacent 1 is astatine 8pm. In between, we volition docket the 360 VR screenings. They volition not beryllium longer than 40 minutes due to the fact that radical are fed up with VR aft 40 minutes.”

Tickets volition beryllium sold astatine a little terms (€7.50) than for regular cinema screenings. The anticipation is to scope a younger assemblage and to prove  cinemagoers volition wage to ticker VR. “After this pilot, determination volition beryllium a ‘phase 2’ due to the fact that determination are galore different cinemas which privation to join,” said Wijntjes. 

Complementing the cinema screenings, Cassette volition besides beryllium mounting up “interactive stations” successful different parts of the cinema specified arsenic the lobby.  

 “What I similar astir what this is doing is that it is really tapping successful to the exiting cinema infrastructure. It is not bringing VR to the cinema - the cinema itself runs it,” said IDFA’s Sonnen. 

It is hoped the New Reality strategy volition dispersed to further cinemas. “The elemental information is that determination are galore large [VR] projects but hardly immoderate places to amusement them,” said Wijntjes. 

• Nervous Systems is the taxable of IDFA DocLab 2022 successful much ways than one