Screen NSW, ABC fund new VR projects

Screen NSW and ABC have announced six virtual reality projects to be developed under the ‘360 Vision’ initiative.

Sydney-based VR artist Lynette Wallworth will mentor all six projects through this stage of development.

The projects come from director Samantha Lang (Carlotta), producer Chloe Rickard (Soul Mates, No Activity), producer Michelle Hardy (Skitbox), writer / producer Rosie Lourde (Starting From Now…) and a team from Western Sydney arts company CuriousWorks.

ABC is yet to confirm which platform it will make these available, although Screen NSW already has a VR app.

In separate news, Screen NSW has announced that a second 360 Vision intensive lab will be expanded to two days in March.

The projects are:

Aussie Cops
Genre: Narrative Comedy
Company: Hardy White Pictures
VR Company: Paper Moose
Creatives:
· Writer/cast: Seaton Kay-Smith
· Director/cast: Nick Hunter
· Producer: Michelle Hardy
Synopsis: Aussie Cops is an Ozploitation comedy series about two very fair-dinkum cops investigating a grisly murder. A locked door murder of sorts experienced in 360 degrees from the point of view of an inquisitive new recruit.

The Hold Up
Genre: Narrative Comedy
Company: Jungle FTV Pty Ltd
VR Companies: Cutting Edge, Nylon Studios, Panavision Australia
Creatives:
· Executive Producer: Chloe Rickard
· Producer: Sarah Nichols
· Director: Scott Pickett
· Writer: Charlie Garber
Synopsis: A young man’s preference for the ‘real’ over the ‘virtual’ is put to the test when his life is threatened by two ethically conflicted bank robbers.

Colony: Departure
Genre: Drama/Science Fiction
Company: CuriousWorks Incorporated
Creatives:
· Writers: S. Shakthidharan, Rosealee Pearson, Elias Nohra
· Sound Artist, Composer: Leah Barclay
· Producer: Vanessa Hyde
Synopsis: Colony: Departure is a VR experience about one Australian family over fifteen generations, from pre-colonial times to an imagined future. It immerses audiences in migrational journeys to and within Australia, told from the perspective of our shared past, present and possible future.

Breach
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Company: In Cahoots Creations Pty Ltd
VR Company: The Pulse
Creatives:
· Producer: Rosie Lourde
· Producer: George Kaceviski
· Writer: Rosie Lourde

Into the Prehistoric Aquarium
Genre: Childrens/Factual
Company: Erth Visual &Physical Inc.
VR Company: Handmaid Media Pty Ltd
Creatives:
· Director: Samantha Lang
· Director: Scott Wright
· Producer: Gemma Pepper
Synopsis: Moving from the depths of the ocean floor you will swim towards the surface, encountering a range of prehistoric marine creatures of the deep.

The Church
Genre: Drama/Horror
Company: Proxi VR Pty Limited
Creatives:
· Writer: Harrison Norris
· Director: Guy Norris
· Executive Producer: John Gregory
Synopsis: The Church is a 5-7 minute long, slow-building psychological horror experience, created specifically for VR headsets. The viewer accompanies a repairman who is called to a rural church; realising too late that he’s been lured into a horrifying trap.

Screen NSW has also announced development funding for three additional VR projects:

The First Artists
Genre: Arts
Company: Blackfella Films Pty Ltd
VR Producer: Fergus Pitt
Creatives:
· Executive Producer: Liselle Mei
· Producer: Darren Dale
· Producer: Troy Lum
· Director: Liselle Mei
· Writer: Liselle Mei
· Writer: Jacob Hickey
Synopsis: This is a journey into the most extraordinary and unique art galleries anywhere on earth. Australia is home to the most extraordinary and unique art gallery anywhere on earth. 100,000 sites. 50,000 years of history. Countless stories. To most Australians, this is a hidden world. Unseen. But imagine if this gallery could be opened up. To anyone. At anytime. Anywhere. Imagine being taken on a journey deep into the world of Aboriginal rock art to meet the ‘First Artists’. For the first time, Virtual Reality can make this journey possible. For all Australians.

Cockatoo Island Ghost Stories
Genre: Drama/History
Company: Yumi Stynes
VR Company: Triggar
Creatives:
· Writer: Yumi Stynes
· Producer: Bruce Walters
· Director: Darlene Johnson
Synopsis: What can the ghosts that lurk on Cockatoo Island teach us about our history? Cockatoo Island has ghosts. Virtual Reality goggles allow you to see them.

Cleverman
Company: Goalpost Pictures
Creatives:
• Producer: Liam Heyen
Synopsis: 360 exploration of the world of Cleverman