Spotlight Stories: My Favorite VR Films from the Google Lab

Mid-March rolled around with some tragic news: Google announced it would be closing its in-house VR studio Spotlight Stories – a studio that has produced a number of charming short films in virtual reality and 360 degrees over the years. To mark this occasion, I re-watched all of the Spotlight Stories and created a list of my favorites for you; exclusively for this first issue of the new VR Geschichten newsletter.

Lucid, My Favorite VR Film at Venice VR

Why do I love festivals so much? One reason might be that I find myself being surprised anew every time. Only on festivals do you find gems you would have otherwise never encountered. This holds true for classic films; doubly so for virtual reality experiences. The VR animated film Lucid turned out to be just that kind of discovery at Venice VR, where it celebrated its premiere. The captivating adventure revolving around a mother-daughter duo asks the big questions of life – and demonstrates, almost in passing, the definition of virtuous storytelling in VR.

Venice VR 2018: The VR Experiences I Am Most Excited For

After having visited the Tribeca Film Festival already, I will also be travelling to the International Film Festival in Venice this year. Yay! As the oldest of its kind worldwide, the Venice Film Festival is just as venerable as it sounds; and even though virtual reality only joined the festivities last year, it is regarded as one of the best VR-centric exhibits. I took a closer look at this year’s Venice VR program to compile a brief and unashamedly personal foretaste.