Huge news from Framestore: on the heels of the huge success at SXSWi 2014 with the Game of Thrones VR activation for Relevent & HBO using Oculus Rift, the VFX company is putting their pioneering skills and proprietary technical knowledge to good use by opening the world’s first VR and Immersive Content Studio. Forged out of a commitment to constant innovation this division will service the agency, brand and entertainment clients across all US and European offices, allowing it to become a creative partner early in the storytelling process.
Framestore has begun building a state-of-the-art space in the New York office to accommodate a variety of cutting-edge equipment that will guide everything from the creation of original VR content to direction to creative strategy – at an Oscar-winning level.
Game of Thrones cast tries the Oculus Rift
“Framestore marries the physical and virtual worlds in creating genuinely immersive experiences – as uniquely seen in Gravity and HBO's Game of Thrones experience” said Jon Collins, Framestore’s President of Integrated Advertising Worldwide. “We've honed our exclusive capabilities and understanding of emerging technology to near-perfection to create the most experienced team in VR content today. Many of our clients leaned on us more heavily and at earlier stages in the creative process. This opened our eyes to the possibilities of how we could collaborate on innovative storytelling and inspired us to develop a formal VR service for our clients that draws on the skillsets of Framestore’s four pillars: live action, digital, design and VFX.”
Global Head of Digital, Mike Woods, who will be spearheading the division, added, “The new studio and our breadth of experience in immersive content will allow us to explore a whole new territory and make magic in ways most people can’t even fathom yet. For the past five years, we’ve had a team dedicated to working solely in game engine technology and completely refining non-linear storytelling traits and techniques. Now, we have the opportunity to combine that innate ability to convey a story with an incomparable understanding of new technology. We’re reaching an intriguing crossroads where users have the ability to control and interact with imagery of the highest quality, and we can’t wait to see where we can go with that. The holodeck awaits.”