Episodes

  • Trailer: The StoryFutures Academy Podcast
    Nov 26 2020

    Welcome to the new StoryFutures Academy podcast.



    This 8-part series, hosted by immersive director Shehani Fernando, gives listeners a practical look at how VR and AR productions actually get made. If you want to begin creating your own immersive stories or learn more about the XR sector, this is the podcast for you. With the help of some of the biggest names in the industry, she explores practical tips, case studies and the challenges that make this a really exciting area to work in.













    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    2 mins
  • Episode 1 - Making Immersive Stories: What is the future of storytelling?
    Nov 26 2020

    In our first episode, we delve into what the opportunities are for immersive storytelling. We speak to Becky Gregory-Clarke, Head of Immersive at StoryFutures Academy about the potential of this relatively new industry, and hear from Professor James Bennett, Director, StoryFutures and Co-Director, StoryFutures Academy about their mission and where he thinks the future is going. In addition, we’re joined by Darren Emerson from East City Films who talks about his recent VR experience, Common Ground, set in the Aylesbury Estate in South London.


    Credits:

    Presenter: Shehani Fernando

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando


    Assistant Producer: Max Bower

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness

    The title track is ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A Molina

    Additional music by Neil Cullen

    Clips from 1943 Berlin Blitz courtesy of the BBC

    Clips from Common Ground, courtesy of East City Films

    Other clips from our introductory montage courtesy of The Guardian, NASA, Common Ground



    RESOURCES

    For more information on things discussed in the episode, see the links below:

    Story Futures Academy - The National Centre for Immersive Storytelling

    StoryFutures - funded by the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

    You can see 1943 Berlin Blitz, courtesy of the BBC

    Find out more about Darren Emerson’s experience, Common Ground by East City Films


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    26 mins
  • Episode 2 - Making Immersive Stories: Getting Started
    Nov 27 2020

    This week, we look at how to take your first tentative steps into making immersive content and thinking spatially. But where do you begin? Do you jump into a game engine, or go up into the loft to find your old lego? To help us decide, we’ve enlisted the help of Kim-Leigh Pontin, Creative Director at Nexus Studios and Verity McIntosh, Senior Lecturer in Virtual and Extended Realities at the University of the West of England.



    Presenter: Shehani Fernando,

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando,

    Assistant Producer: Max Bower,

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders,

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness,

    The title track is: ‘A Thousand Years’ by  David A Molina,

    Additional music: Neil Cullen

    Other clips from our introductory montage courtesy of The Guardian, NASA, Common Ground

    With thanks to Sky for permission to use a clip from 'Discovery of Witches - Hiding in Plain Sight VR' and Ellie Richold for the 'Virtual Love Islands' clip


    RESOURCES


    Virtual Love Islands VR Piece: https://www.ellierichold.co.uk/arvr


    Nexus Studios: https://nexusstudios.com/


    Discovery of Witches VR Piece: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/942242895886564/?locale=en_GB


    Britannia VR Piece: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/2084154688334944/?locale=en_GB


    Tilt Brush: https://www.tiltbrush.com/


    Quill: https://quill.fb.com/


    Unity: https://unity.com/


    Unreal: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/


    Medium (sculpting tool in VR) - https://www.oculus.com/medium/?locale=en_GB



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    26 mins
  • Episode 3 - Making Immersive Stories: Augmented Reality
    Dec 6 2020

    With the worldwide value of the Augmented Reality market set to exceed $50 billion by 2024, our guests this week help us to understand what forces are driving this dramatic growth, and what opportunities there are for immersive storytellers like yourself. We begin with Alex Fleetwood, Head of Niantic's London Studios, the company behind Harry Potter’s Wizard’s Unite and the worldwide phenomenon that is Pokémon Go. We’re also joined by Susan Cummings and Taavi Kelle who are going to take us on an AR adventure with Wallace and Gromit.


    With Alex Fleetwood from Niantic, and Susan Cummings and Taavi Kelle, from Fictioneers.


    Alex Fleetwood, Head of Niantic's London studio - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexfleetwood/

    Susan Cummings, Fictioneers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanicummings/

    Taavi Kelle, Fictioneers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/taavikelle/



    Presenter: Shehani Fernando

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando 

    Assistant Producer: Max Bower

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders 

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness 

    The title track is: ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A Molina 

    Additional music: Neil Cullen & 'Time to Leave' by Ketsa, courtesy of the Free Music Archive


    Resources:

    Niantic: https://nianticlabs.com/en/ @nianticLabs

    Pokémon Go: https://pokemongolive.com/en/ @pokemongoapp

    Pokéman Go Fest https://pokemongolive.com/en/events/fest/2020/

    Tiny Rebel Games: https://www.tinyrebelgames.com/ @tinyrebelgames

    Fictioneers www.fictioneers.co.uk @fictioneersLtd

    The Big Fix Up: https://www.thebigfixup.co.uk/ @thebigfixup

    Beasts of Balance: https://beastsofbalance.com/ @beastsofbalance

    Spark AR - https://sparkar.facebook.com/ar-studio/

    Snapchat Lens Studio - https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/

    Niantic's Real World Platform - https://nianticlabs.com/en/blog/nrwp-update-110619/

    Niantic's Creator Platform - https://niantic.dev/ 



    Thanks:

    Special thanks to Fictioneers, Aardman Animations and Niantic for the use of audio clips in this episode.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • Episode 4 - Making Immersive Stories: The Producer’s Role
    Dec 14 2020

    An immersive producer is a key role in any XR project - so what does it take to become one yourself?  What are the nuts and bolts of delivering a project to budget, and what technical knowledge do you need to be able to translate what clients want to developers? This week we have two guests that have worked on some ground-breaking immersive projects, Katie Grayson from Passion Experience, and executive producer Zillah Watson. Both of them share their top tips on the different phases of production and discuss the making of the BBC’s Emmy-nominated ‘Dr Who: The Runaway’.


    Zillah Watson, Executive Producer

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/zillahwatson/

    Katie Grayson, Passion Pictures

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-grayson-42b8447/


    Credits:

    Presenter: Shehani Fernando 

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando 

    Assistant Producer: Max Bower

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness 

    The title track is: ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A Molina

    Additional music: Neil Cullen


    Thanks:

    Clips from Congo VR and Dr Who: The Runaway, courtesy of the BBC

    Clip from Critical Distance courtesy of Vision 3

    Thanks to Satore Studios for use of the Swan AR clip


    Resources:

    Passion Pictures - http://www.passion-pictures.com/experience/  @passionpictures

    BBC’s Congo VR Piece: https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/congo-vr/ 

    Dr Who: The Runaway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RPe6aNiotA

    Hololens 2: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/buy

    Critical Distance: https://www.vision3.tv/VR-3D-projects/post.php?permalink=critical-distance

    Satore Studios: https://satorestudio.com/ @satorestudio

    Guide to virtual production: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/virtual-production



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    29 mins
  • Episode 5 - Making Immersive Stories: Writing for characters in VR
    Jan 11 2021

    This week, we're talking about the role of writers in immersive storytelling. Some of the biggest IP on the planet is beginning to wake up to the possibilities that virtual reality can offer. In the last few years, Star Wars and Doctor Who have launched VR experiences for the Oculus Quest. Writers are going to have an increasingly important role in the creation of new character-led experiences. This episode brings together the sage voices of Adam Ganz, Head of the Writer's Room at the StoryFutures Academy, Kerry Kolbe a TV writer who is making the leap into writing for VR, and finally Russ Harding, the man entrusted by the producers of Peaky Blinders to bring the world of 1920's Birmingham onto a headset near you.


    Presenter: Shehani Fernando, 

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando, 

    Assistant Producer: Max Bower,

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders, 

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness, 

    The title track is: ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A Molina, 

    Additional music: Neil Cullen & ‘Algea Tender’ by Blue Dot Sessions courtesy of the Free Music Archive


    Special Thanks:

    Peaky Blinders Clip provided courtesy of Caryn Mandabach Productions www.peakyblinders.tv



    SFA Writer’s Room: https://www.storyfutures.com/academy/experiment/writers-room


    Peaky Blinders: https://peakyblinders.tv

    Maze Theory: https://www.maze-theory.com/projects

    Sun Ladies VR Piece: https://www.luciddreamsprod.com/#video2

    Punchdrunk: https://www.punchdrunk.org.uk/

    Playstation VR Worlds: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/playstation-vr-worlds/



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    25 mins
  • Episode 6 - Making Immersive Stories: Audience Insight
    Jan 17 2021

    Whether the first immersive experience you are making is for people in their living rooms or launching at a museum, understanding how your story is going to be experienced and who you're going to target is a huge question that should be dealt with upfront rather than after you've built it. This week we enlist the help of Catherine Allen from Limina Immersive, Executive Producer, Zillah Watson and our own Dr Laryssa Whittaker from StoryFutures to find out exactly what questions you should be asking your audience and how to attract more people to your content.


    Dr. Laryssa Whittaker, Research Fellow, StoryFutures 

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/laryssa-whittaker-09499034/

    Catherine Allen, CEO, Limina Immersive

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinedjallen/

    Zillah Watson, Executive Producer

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/zillahwatson/


    Credits:

    Presenter: Shehani Fernando

    Producers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando 

    Assistant Producer: Max Bower

    Executive Producer: Will Saunders

    Editing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinness

    The title track is ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A Molina

    Additional music: Plate Synthesis by Blue Dot Sessions courtesy of Free Music Archive


    We would like to thank the National Gallery for allowing us to use the Gregorian Chants from the Virtual Veronese Project: It was sung by Veneti Cantores Choir, whom we also wish to thank.


    The music is an extract from the liturgy for Ash Wednesday, from the manuscript: Mantua, Archivio Storico Diocesano, A2, 1561. 


    Resources: 


    Virtual Veronese:

    https://www.storyfutures.com/news/storyfutures-presents-virtual-veronese


    Beyond the early adopter: widening the appeal for virtual reality by Catherine Allen (Dec 2020)

    https://pec.ac.uk/policy-briefings/beyond-the-early-adopter-widening-the-appeal-for-virtual-reality


    The Immersive Audience Journey Report (July 2020)

    https://audienceofthefuture.live/reports/immersive-audience-journey/


    Audience testing resource

    https://medium.com/pintsizedrobotninja/vr-a-different-world-a-different-way-of-testing-6c91010bcb8b


    StoryFutures Research

    https://www.storyfutures.com/showcase


    BBC’s distribution through libraries VR Project

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/vr-local-libraries



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    24 mins
  • Episode 7 - Making Immersive Stories: Reflecting Reality
    Jan 25 2021
    People often see immersive technology as a way of entering new worlds to experience things that they would never normally get to do in real life. While there is certainly much out there to delight and entertain, immersive stories can also enable a glimpse into someone else's world or provoke new perspectives on social or political issues. This week we look at the issue-based work of two XR makers: Francesca Panetta, who led the Guardian’s VR studio and more recently has been dabbling in deep fake technology; and Karen Palmer, whose body of recent immersive work deals with race, ethics and AI to challenge our own implicit biases.With Francesca Panetta and Karen PalmerFrancesca Panetta, Artist & Journalisthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-panetta-895b457/Karen Palmer, Artisthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/storytellerfromthefuture/Credits:Presenter: Shehani FernandoProducers: Chris Hogg & Shehani Fernando Assistant Producer: Max BowerExecutive Producer: Will SaundersEditing and sound design: John Wakefield & Matt McGuinnessThe title track is ‘A Thousand Years’ by David A MolinaOther music: ‘Allston Night Owl’ by Blue Dot Sessions courtesy of Free Music ArchiveAdditional music by Neil CullenClips from ‘In Event of Moon Disaster’, courtesy of MIT Centre for Advanced Virtuality Clips from ‘6x9’ and ‘Sea Prayer’, Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2020Clips from ‘Riot’ courtesy of Karen Palmer.Resources: In Event of Moon Disaster - co-directed by Francesca Panetta & Halsey Bergund, an MIT Centre for Advanced Virtuality Productionhttps://moondisaster.org/6x9: A virtual experience of solitary confinement https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2016/apr/27/6x9-a-virtual-experience-of-solitary-confinementExperience all The Guardian’s 360 contenthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa_1MA_DEorE_Qwa-4uURxeOvRxYfqA-6Karen Palmerhttp://karenpalmer.uk/Thoughtworks Artshttps://thoughtworksarts.io/Immerse NewsCreative discussion of emerging non fiction storytelling (and great newsletter)https://immerse.news/MIT’s Docubase of new forms of documentary storytellinghttps://docubase.mit.edu/VR Non-fiction - A Mediographyhttp://vrdocumentaryencounters.co.uk/vrmediography/Virtual Reality: Immersive Documentary Encounters research projecthttp://vrdocumentaryencounters.co.uk/Canny AIhttps://www.cannyai.com/Respeecher - Voice cloninghttps://www.respeecher.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show more Show less
    36 mins