Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mobile solutions group Nektr teamed up with Georgia State University in January to present VRDayATL: Atlanta’s Mixed Reality Conference at the Rialto.
Full of demos and discussions, VRDayATL brought together some of the best minds in the fields of VR, AR, 360 video, branding, and entertainment, displaying their talents and projecting the future of the medium. Highlights included a showcase of products, such as Fake Love’s AR experience for the film Hidden Figures, the CNN VR app for Google’s Daydream platform, Microsoft’s innovative HoloLens, and the first 360 video coverage of a presidential speech.
Filmmakers spoke on the accessibility of VR, how VR film crews are the same as typical film crews in process (just with different tech, as Tabitha Mason-Elliott of Bark-Bark demonstrated), and the inherent assumptions that this new technology will somehow change the world as we know it. Presenters provided differing perspectives on VR: while Jerry Hudson of Moxie/FutureX claims that “Virtual reality gives you superpowers,” Cameron Kunzelman urges everyone to remember that “VR is a tool, not a revolution.”
Additionally, a panel of Atlanta-based VR gurus discussed Atlanta’s VR Community. Christopher Hicks of the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment also stopped by for a surprise appearance, applauding Atlanta for being on the cusp of VR/AR innovation and encouraging the city’s developers to “think disruptively.”
