Funding deal secures VR docs for White Spark Pictures
July 17, 2023
A week before its second VR film, Beyond the Milky Way, gets its international premiere at the Royal Institution in London, White Spark Pictures is excited to confirm that it now has a further three immersive documentaries in development, courtesy of investment from a ground-breaking partnership between three leading museums: the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, the Western Australian Museum in Perth and the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.
In what is believed to be a content funding world-first, AUD$1 million will be invested over a three-year period, resulting in the delivery of three new immersive VR films which will see museum visitors uniquely transported to difficult to reach places and able to fly over waterfalls, swim with humpback whales and visit remote islands.
· The Kimberley VR Experience – a spectacular 360° documentary flying over the edges of waterfalls, magical coastlines, and venturing into the heart of this ancient landscape unlike anywhere else on the planet.
· Journey of the Giants – from outback to ocean, a deep 360° dive into the incredible world of whales, including following their migration, exploring the long history of these ancient creatures and creating the feeling of swimming with humpbacks.
· The Kermadec Islands – a chance to experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in a remote and pristine marine wonderland deep in the South Pacific Ocean
The first of the VR films, which will enable audiences to explore the unique Kimberley region of Western Australia, is due to launch in the second half of 2024. Over time, each film will also be made available to a wide range of international venues.
The National Museum of Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the Auckland Museum have each hosted (and continue to host at given periods) either one or both of White Spark Pictures’ earlier VR films The Antarctica Experience and Beyond the Milky Way to great success, substantially increasing visitor footfall and continually receiving positive audience feedback.
Briege Whitehead from White Spark Pictures comments: “We are thrilled that our earlier VR films are the catalyst for this game-changing, world-first content partnership and are incredibly excited to be working with these exceptional museums for many years to come.
“These venues are visionary in the way that they have embraced the opportunity VR presents. With technology improving all the time, and with venues and attractions constantly looking for unique new experiences to offer their visitors, demand for world-class, cost-effective and scalable offerings like ours, which are the perfect fit for any site, will only increase. At present, lack of available content is a major barrier, so it is very astute of these museums to invest in their own pipeline.
“For my part, I hope this partnership also inspires TV and film producers to look into VR production. We are proving there is a demand for great immersive content and this in turn should provide a lot of opportunity for some of the amazing production talent out there to expand their capabilities. And with production slowing down in many parts of the world, now might be a great time to investigate. We started out in TV production and continue to make factual programming. What we’re now seeing is a bridging of these worlds where traditional cinema experiences, television and new technology-led formats are coming together to become a driving force in the future of entertainment.”
Beyond the Milky Way begins its run at the Royal Institution in London on 24th July. White Spark’s previous VR film, the award-winning The Antarctica Experience, remains one of the most commercially successful VR documentaries of all time, ranking within the top 10 highest grossing theatrical Australian documentaries to date.