Institute For Applied Creativity’s ‘Field Of View’ Festival Celebrates Immersive 360-Degree Films From 12 Countries
The Institute for Applied Creativity is showcasing 360-degree films during its inaugural Field of View: 360 Video Festival on Dec. 2-7.
The festival features 23 juried immersive films, created with 360-degree video technology, from 12 countries, along with nine invited films, sponsored by the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts and Igloo Vision.
The films will be screened in the Igloo Studio (Room 400A) in the Langford Architecture Center, Building C, and Studio B (Room 400B). The event is free and open to the public. To reserve a spot, visit the EventBrite website.
According to Dr. Jinsil Hwaryoung Seo, director of the institute, artists submitted 360-degree videos in education and research, screendance, narrative, documentary and experimental categories. A committee will announce the winners at the opening reception; winners will receive $500.
“‘Field of View’ offers a diverse and inspiring showcase of international storytelling in immersive formats,” said Meg Cook, assistant professor in Visualization. “We cannot wait to share these films with the community.”
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Opening Reception, Winners Film Screening and Virtual Reality
The winners in each category will be screened during the opening reception at 4 p.m. in the Igloo Studio, and again on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Guests can participate in virtual reality film screenings from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. in Studio B and again Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4: ‘Invented’ Screening, Listening Party
At 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Igloo Studio, guests will view 360-degree video submissions in the invented category.
At 4 p.m. guests can join a “Zen Listening Party” to relax during finals. Participants can contribute to a shared Spotify playlist, which connects to audio reactive visualizations. There will also be bean bags and comfortable seating available. The listening party will also take place on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5: ‘Embodied’ Screening and Filmmaker Talkback
At 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Igloo Studio, guests will be able to watch 360-degree video submissions in the embodied category.
At 6:45 p.m. there will be a “Filmmaker Talkback.” Invited artists will discuss their process via Zoom.
Friday, Dec. 6: ‘Surreal’ Screening, Interactive Workshop
At 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Igloo Studio, guests can watch 360-degree video submissions in the surreal category.
Also on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Igloo Studio, students in Visualization, Dance Science and Engineering will present an event titled “Interactive Workshop in Real Time AI and Movement.” Participants will be able to use their bodies to create real-time artificial intelligence imagery.
Michael Morran, the institute’s visiting artist and technical director, created the concept with students for six weeks as they developed a showcase for improvisational movement and physical storytelling in generative AI.
“With live-image generation and access to this 360-projection cylinder in the Igloo Studio, we can have participants stand in front of a camera as a performer,” Morran said. “They will be isolated as their silhouette captures an image projected on the 360-degree screen. As they move around, we can customize the color of their silhouette, the background color, and we can control the prompt that generates the AI images on the screen.”
Karen Lopez, a sophomore Visualization student, said she was excited to work with this version of AI to generate a prompt written specifically to create an image.
“As the participant is standing still and the video is also capturing their silhouette as they are moving, the generative AI will show a whole new image every single time they move,” she said. “This is a different type of entertainment, and it is really to cool have a visual performance alongside the physical performance as a really unique version of storytelling.”
Students who participated in creating the work include Lynn Kim, Visualization; Srikar Konuru, Engineering; Gabe White, Engineering; Kathleen McKay, Dance Science; and Pushkaraj Krishna, Engineering.
Saturday, Dec. 7: Kids’ Activities and Screenings
At 11 a.m. children can move track controllers and interact with virtual reality in the Igloo Studio. There will also be a selection of films for children including “Once a Glacier,” “Behind the Dish,” “Lion King,” “Questioning Cats” and “Granville and Georgia.”
For the complete schedule, visit the EventBrite website.
Top photo: Kathleen McKay, a Dance Science student, dances around the Igloo Studio. Photo by Dr. Jinsil Hwaryoung Seo.
