The 16th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) will showcase The BIFF XR Experience, celebrating the evolution of storytelling with the very best in virtual reality films and augmented reality art installations, as well as the Boulder XR Science Fair, featuring XR Projects from over a dozen local Boulder companies and labs. The free event is open to the public March 5-7 at Galvanize Boulder, and the BIFF TalkBack Cafe on March 8.
The BIFF XR Experience offers visitors and the local Boulder community a chance to experience cutting-edge VR films from around the world, along with industry meetups, interactive workshops and a showcase of local AR/VR innovation in the Boulder XR Science Fair.
"The future of storytelling will be an amazingly new and exciting experience that we can't even imagine today," said Kevin Smith, executive producer for BIFF. "The XR Experience provides a glimpse into this groundbreaking new medium while providing a great community event to mix, learn and experience."
The VR line-up features the films "Cycles" and "Myth: A Frozen Tale," VR films from Disney Animation. Special guests include Jeff Gipson (director and CU grad) and Jose Luis Gomez Diaz (lead software engineer, VR/AR, Disney Animation) who will be presenting Saturday's keynote, "The Collaboration Between Art and Technology: Making Disney Animation's 'Cycles' and 'Myth: A Frozen Tale.'"
Here’s the XR Experience schedule
Thurs., March 5 (5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.)
Location: Galvanize Boulder, 1023 Walnut
5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. – XR Experience Kickoff – Welcome Disney to Boulder! (free to attend)
Kick-off a great VR/AR/XR weekend with free Spiked Snowmelt Craft Hard Seltzer and beer from Upslope, as well as a tasty taco bar from Mojo Taqueria. Welcome Disney VR artists to Boulder and experience the power of virtual reality films in the VR Theater.
Fri., March 6 (12 p.m. - 8 p.m.)
Location: Galvanize Boulder, 1023 Walnut Street
12 p.m. - VR Theater and AR Cafe
Films in the VR Theater include: "Cycles," "Myth: A Frozen Tale," "Ghost Fleet," "2nd Step," "Loxa" and "12 Seconds of Gunfire." The VR theater also includes two Reality Garage Experiences – "Rock Climbing in Boulder Canyon" and "Denver Helicopter." The AR Café features world class Augmented Realty artworks from Heavy AR and other Boulder artists.
Sat., March 7, (10 a.m. – 8 p.m.)
Location: Galvanize Boulder, 1023 Walnut Street
10 a.m. - VR Theater and AR Café Open
10:30 a.m. - Augmented Reality Workshop with Pat Mallek, Mighty Fudge Studios
Noon -The Boulder XR Science Fair
Check out the brilliance of local AR/VR from local university labs, tech teams and professionals.
12:30 p.m. - VLogging with Ryan Van Duzer
Learn to vlog (video blog) with the inspirational Ryan Van Duzer, whose YouTube channel has garnered over one million hits.
2 p.m. - 360 Photography Workshop with Dave Blessing
Check out the mind-blowing world of 360 photography with Boulder High teacher Dave Blessing, who will present a photo safari, introduce a 360 camera and explain this ground-breaking technology.
3 p.m. - Keynote Presentation, The Collaboration Between Art and Technology: Making Disney Animation's "Cycles" and "Myth: A Frozen Tale" with Disney's Jeff Gipson and Jose Luis Gomez Diaz
Gipson (Director) and Gomez Diaz (Lead Software Engineer, VR/AR at Disney Animation) will discuss design challenges and new techniques to effectively tell a story in the VR medium, including VR storyboarding and unique use of light and color saturation. Gipson and Gomez's credits include Disney's Zootopia, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2.
4:30 p.m. – Science Fair resumes
8:00 p.m. – XR Theater and Science Fair Closes
Sun., March 8, (3 p.m. – 5 p.m.)
Location: BIFF TalkBack Café in the Tent at 14th and Pearl
3 p.m. - 5 p.m. - VR Theater
For more information, visit http://www.biff1.com/xr
If you're new here, check out The Lay of the Land to see all that we have to offer at VRNation.tv.
