“Ready Player One”, directed by Steven Spielberg, nabbed one of the coveted spots – a nomination for a 2019 Oscars award for Visual Effects. Famous winners in the past have included “Avatar,” “Interstellar,” and all three of “The Lord of the Rings” films. The movie, based on Ernest Cline’s book of the same name, is known for characters traveling into a virtual reality space — which needed to be experienced without film patrons having to done VR headsets themselves.
“Ready Player One,” filmed on a number of streets within Birmingham, tells the futuristic story of a society that spends most of its time jacked into VR. Students even go to virtual schools, with some even wearing haptic suits that allow them to feel everything that’s happening in the virtual world.
The Oscars, which will be televised on February 24, are addressing the rise of VR in storytelling. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences nominated a short animated VR film, “Pearl,” in 2017 which could be viewed on both HTC Vive devices and on YouTube as a 360-degree video. Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu took home a special Oscar award for his VR exhibit, “Carne y Arena” in 2017. And director Guillermo del Toro created a VR experience for his 2015 film “Crimson Peak.”
Spielberg himself can be said to be very focused on VR and its role in Hollywood. He is involved in Dreamscape, a VR theater, that recently opened its first location in Los Angeles’ Westfield Century City mall.
Ready Player One has also been recognised for its stunning visual effects or production design, receiving nominations for the Academy Awards, BAFTA and the Art Directors Guild. Watch the trailer here. Other nominees in the Visual Effects category are Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Robin, First Man and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Original Source: www.gearbrain.com
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