VR is still an emerging storytelling medium, but that didn't stop CityLights, a new distribution company, from acquiring the rights to the three-part VR series SPHERES at Sundance in a seven-figure deal, according to a recent announcement. The exact figure of the acquisition was not revealed.
The first part of the series, SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime, directed by Eliza McNitt and narrated by Jessica Chastain, premiered in Sundance's New Frontiers section over the weekend. Songs of Spacetime puts viewers into the experience of two black holes colliding.
A still image from SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime by Eliza McNitt, an official selection of the New Frontier VR Experiences program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
According to the announcement of the deal, SPHERES will premiere on Oculus Rift later this year (Oculus and Intel both also supported the project), and CityLights will expand the distribution beyond Oculus Rift after the premiere. Exactly what that expansion will look like or how you will be able to see SPHERES beyond Oculus Rift is yet to be announced.
While we don't expect a flurry of VR deals to be announced in the near future, this major acquisition should certainly pique interest in the commercial viability of the form of storytelling. We'll have to wait and see how CityLights rolls out SPHERES to find out if this acquisition pans out, both for the new company and for future VR projects.
For more, see our ongoing list of coverage of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Featured image: A still image from SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime by Eliza McNitt, an official selection of the New Frontier VR Experiences program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Source: Wired
