Protopian Tales: Using XR to bring animated stories to life
Project partners: XR Stories, Humanstudio, Hope Works and the University of York
Nick Bax, XR Stories research fellow and director of Human Studio, has used XR Stories funding to create Protopian Tales. This immersive project was supported and jointly-funded by Hope Works, a nationally recognised live music venue in the centre of Sheffield that has hosted an international array of artists since its inception.
The project is part of Nick’s research for XR Stories in which he explores mixed-reality storytelling.
Protopian Tales makes use of immersive technologies to promote a unique form of storytelling for new and emerging audiences. Each story takes place in a near future where extended-reality (XR) technology has become ubiquitous to human existence, enhancing and affecting our everyday lives in both subtle and major ways.
Human Studio worked with Hope Works to create high-quality content for their core and extended audiences via digital platforms. Researchers at the University of York also supported the R&D phase of the project.
Nick Bax says:
“With this project we hope to reach a new audience, many of whom will not typically be interested in immersive experiences but who will be drawn by the association with Hope Works and the musicians involved in the project.
It is our goal that this unique immersive experience will generate genuine excitement and enthusiasm from a wide and diverse demographic toward future extended-reality (XR) content and creativity.”
Human have released their first Protopian Tale, The Neon Pack, directed by Nick Bax, commissioned by Hope Works and match-funded by XR Stories. This immersive 360 experience interprets three scenes from the original short story by Nick Bax, featuring VR design and animation by Dan Fleetwood, with additional design by Michaela White and an original soundtrack by 96 Back on CPU Records.
Nick plans to use The Neon Pack as a springboard for funding further R&D activity.
Categories: Research, Technology