VR Swarm East

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Andrius Lekavicius

If you’re not doing VR right now, you’re not the cool kid on the block. This is a »learning-by-doing« VR blog that will help you to join the VR swarm from the East. I will be hitting my head(set) into the wall of expanded reality, so you don’t have to. A blog by Andrius Lekavicius, storyteller, filmmaker, and interactive orchestra conducting forms, medias, and dreams.

VR Swarm East #6

2016: »The Year of VR.« Was it?

by Andrius Lekavicius — Feb 22, 2017 / 15:46

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First days of the year are perfect time for looking back. 2016 has ended. It was supposed to be the year of virtual reality. It kinda was, but mostly it wasn’t. Yes, there were three major releases of high-end devices with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony Playstation VR. But the medium didn’t actually penetrate the mainstream. I see few different reasons that can be summed up with the formula: The explanation of this lousy formula would sound something like:

VR Swarm East #5

Bloody Sunday VR: Learning-by-doing VR Goes Bigger

by Andrius Lekavicius — Sep 27, 2016 / 15:10

On one side, there are the roars of military equipment, the screeching of tank tracks, hectic shooting, and the cold as steel eyes of the Soviet paratroopers; on the other side, there are patriotic Lithuanian songs, shouts of encouragement, and silent interlocking hands to create a protective shield of human bodies. That’s the setting of the biggest VR project I’ve been working on since May. It will bring the user to the area of Vilnius TV tower on the night

VR Swarm East #4

360 Camera – Where to put it?

by Andrius Lekavicius — Aug 26, 2016 / 09:24

That’s the main question while shooting 360 videos: »Where to put it?« I mean the camera, of course. Because in cinematic VR you don’t zoom, pan, slide, or frame, the traditional cinema language is useless. Your frame is everywhere around you – all 360 degrees of the world. And if your camera is moving, you have to find a reason for it move in your storytelling. Because if a cameraman is carrying or pushing the camera, he is in your

VR Swarm East #3

Virtually Visiting Film Sets

Jul 12, 2016 / 09:36

Two weeks ago, I was shooting a making-of in 360 of the film workshop »Summer Media Studio 2016: Interactive Dance in Film.« The concept was to place the viewer into the film set of eight film crews with the help of Cinematic VR. In cinema, a making-of – also known as a »behind-the-scenes« or »on-set« – is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. After my experience of filming it in 360, I can

VR Swarm East #2

When 360 Is Not What It Used To Be

Jun 07, 2016 / 13:19

Last week, I was in Barcelona attending Cartoon 360, a pitching event for animated transmedia projects. Virtual reality (VR) as well as augmented reality (AR) were one of the hot topics and themes both in the pitched projects and keynote presentations. As animation might be the most beautiful flower in the bouquet of VR possibilities, I was curious to hear how producers and creators are including VR elements in the projects that will be launched in two to three years.

VR Swarm East #1

Joining the VR Swarm from the East

by Andrius Lekavicius — May 24, 2016 / 14:09

I tried VR for the first time a year ago at the i_doc workshop in Nyon/Switzerland during the Visions du Réel film festival. Now fast forward to today: I have my own headset, 360 camera, and probably all the possible VR related apps on my smartphone. I’m working on a huge interactive animated VR project commissioned by the Lithuanian Film Center as well as a few smaller personal projects. To stay on the fast moving Wild West of the emerging