Sundance is quickly becoming quite the hub for cinematic and interactive VR experiences and SUBPAC has been there every step of the way.
Debuting at Sundance 2017 was TREE, a physical audio and haptically enhanced virtual reality experience by Winslow Porter and Milica Zec where you become a seed that is planted and then grows into a full-sized tree in a majestic rain forest. With your arms as the branches and your body as the trunk, you experience the tree’s growth from a seedling to its fullest form, taking on its role in the forest and witnessing its fate firsthand.
When talking about the SUBPAC and it’s implications for TREE, Winslow stated that:
“SUBPAC technology became an integral part of fully immersing our audience into the experience of being a tree. Upon entering the installation space, users were equipped with a SUBPAC before strapping on headphones and an Oculus Rift. We timed the VR visuals so the SUBPACs would vibrate during crucial moments in the story, helping users to feel physically closer to the tree they embodied. Many people cried or shouted during the final moments of Tree, when the SUBPAC was an important part of personalizing the fate of our virtual rainforest. SUBPAC added a vital immersive component that helped people better understand the experiences of the non-human ecosystem.”
Look for more TREE showings coming up throughout 2017. We are happy to grow with them.