BAFTA to launch VR advisory group
August 19, 2016
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is inviting individuals to participate in its new Virtual Reality Advisory Group. The group will be spearheaded out of Los Angeles and its insights will be used to inform BAFTA’s global activities in the US, UK and beyond.
The independent advisory group will be tasked with exploring the impact that VR will have on the current landscape of the film, television and games industries, and the opportunities for the next generation of storytellers to work within a new medium.
The group will also explore the most appropriate ways to incorporate VR into BAFTA’s broader remit to celebrate, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image.
It will be chaired by AMD’s Corporate Vice President for Technology and Content, Roy Taylor, and will be comprised of individuals representing both the technology and creative sectors. “I am thrilled that BAFTA has invited me to lead this advisory panel,” said Taylor. “I am looking forward to working alongside my industry colleagues in order to develop a greater understanding of the function and creative possibilities of VR.”
Chantal Rickards, CEO of BAFTA Los Angeles, said: “Virtual Reality has become one of the hottest new mediums in our industry, but there remain questions around what impact it will have on our creative world. As a global community of members representing the many sectors of the industry, BAFTA is committed to exploring these important questions and determining how best to build VR into our future initiatives.”
Nick Button-Brown, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, said: “We are hugely excited to be providing a platform for discussion on VR’s significance across all the creative industries, BAFTA’s role in celebrating excellence in this field, and, crucially, how we can support the next generation of talent to find new ways to work with this medium. Although based in Los Angeles, the advisory group will discuss, explore and inform BAFTA’s global activities in the realms of virtual reality, and with its impact cutting across different industries, will be completely connected to our sector committees for games, film and television.”