Buzz Aldrin & 8i Premiere “Buzz Aldrin: CYCLING PATHWAYS TO MARS” Virtual Reality Experience at SXSW in Collaboration wit...
March 14 2017 - 12:35PM
Business Wire
World’s first legacy VR project brings to life Aldrin’s plan to
send humans to Mars with his hologram as your guide; launching
worldwide via LIFE VR
Today at SXSW, Buzz Aldrin and 8i with Time Inc’s (NYSE: TIME)
LIFE VR, will premiere the world's first legacy VR project
featuring the celebrated astronaut’s hologram as he takes viewers
on a journey through space and reveals his plan to send humans to
Mars. “Buzz Aldrin: CYCLING PATHWAYS TO MARS” is a groundbreaking
educational room-scale VR experience with stunning visual effects
that is the first official release from holographic technology
company 8i, and the first room-scale VR experience featuring a real
human to be released by Time Inc.’s LIFE VR. SXSW attendees will be
the first to experience “Buzz Aldrin: CYCLING PATHWAYS TO MARS” at
its world premiere today in the Virtual Cinema starting at 11 a.m.
(CT), followed by a featured session with Buzz Aldrin in
conversation with TIME Editor-at-large Jeffrey Kluger at 3:30
p.m.
“While the moon landing was a monumental achievement for
humanity, there’s no greater mission than mankind’s journey to
Mars,” said Buzz Aldrin, astronaut on Gemini 12 and Apollo 11
missions. “I have a plan for creating a human settlement on Mars,
and thanks to virtual reality and holographic technology from 8i,
we now have an exciting new way to communicate this plan with the
world and to leave my legacy behind for future generations of
aspiring space travelers.”
“Capturing Buzz Aldrin’s hologram for future generations has
been an incredible honor and a watershed moment for 8i,” said Steve
Raymond, CEO of 8i. “Virtual reality has enormous potential to
educate and inspire, and we know Buzz will spark the imagination of
young people who will one day journey to Mars and begin a new
chapter for mankind. Our entire team has been thrilled to work on
this project and we’re excited for everyone to see it.”
“Our goal with LIFE VR was not only to bring Time Inc’s
storytelling to a brand new medium, but to also push boundaries and
be pioneering within this medium,” said Mia Tramz, Managing Editor
of LIFE VR. "Working with 8i on this project allowed us to bring
TIME and LIFE’s history of covering human exploration to an
exciting and unprecedented new frontier, and to bring our readers
into this topic in a completely new way.”
“Buzz Aldrin: CYCLING PATHWAYS TO MARS,” which was created by 8i
in partnership with Soylent, features a photorealistic 3D hologram
of the real Dr. Aldrin with true volume and depth, allowing viewers
to ‘meet’ the American icon and walk around his hologram as if he
were in the same room. To create the hologram, Aldrin was recorded
by 8i using volumetric capture and proprietary technology that
brings photorealistic holograms of humans into virtual, augmented,
and mixed reality in an easy and scalable way. The environment was
created by 8i in collaboration with Loot and with stunning visual
effects from FuseFX.
In a featured session at SXSW today, Aldrin will take the stage
for a conversation with TIME’s Kluger, the co-author of “Apollo
13,” to discuss his plans for creating a permanent human settlement
on Mars, why he chose virtual reality as a medium to educate
audiences, and the importance of capturing his hologram and legacy
for future generations. 8i Cofounder, Linc Gasking, and LIFE VR
Managing Editor, Mia Tramz, will also discuss the project in a SXSW
panel on holograms and the future of virtual and augmented reality,
today at 2 p.m. (CT).
Shortly after its SXSW premiere, “Buzz Aldrin: CYCLING PATHWAYS
TO MARS” will be distributed by Time Inc. to TIME and LIFE VR
audiences across multiple VR platforms including Steam and Viveport
for the HTC Vive beginning March 17, and to Oculus Rift soon
thereafter. A VR trailer for the experience will be available in
the LIFE VR app for iOS and Android beginning March 17. LIFE VR,
which creates and distributes all of Time Inc.’s virtual reality
content, publishes programming across multiple platforms, including
a dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
and Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus. LIFE VR also has 360-degree
videos available on desktop and mobile web, across Time Inc.
websites and at Time.com/LifeVR.
For video, please visit: https://youtu.be/9bff_YHdVYM. For
images, logos and additional information, please visit:
http://bit.ly/2mb583i. For a full list of credits, visit:
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/films/71977.
About Time Inc.
Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is a leading content company that engages
over 150 million consumers every month through our portfolio of
premium brands across platforms. By combining our distinctive
content with our proprietary data and people-based targeting, we
offer highly differentiated end-to-end solutions to marketers
across the multimedia landscape. Our influential brands include
People, Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Real Simple and
Southern Living, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the
United Kingdom. Time Inc. has been extending the power of our
brands through various acquisitions and investments, including
Viant, an advertising technology firm with a specialized
people-based marketing platform; The Foundry, Time Inc.’s creative
lab and content studio; and the People Entertainment Weekly Network
(PEN). The company is also home to celebrated events, such as the
Time 100, Fortune Most Powerful Women, People’s Sexiest Man Alive,
Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, the Essence Festival
and the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
About 8i
8i’s mission is to enable the evolution of media and human
communication by giving people the best way to connect with each
other and express themselves through holograms. We provide the
easiest way to create, use and experience human holograms that look
real, and can be viewed from any angle, on any device for virtual,
augmented or mixed reality. Our proprietary technology transforms
video from an array of cameras using volumetric capture into a
photorealistic hologram that can easily be integrated into variety
of 3D computing experiences. Founded in May 2014, 8i is based in
Wellington, New Zealand, and Los Angeles. Learn more at
http://8i.com/.
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8iAmy Sezak, 415-609-4807press@8i.comorTime Inc.Kerri Chyka,
212-522-3651kerri_chyka@timeinc.comorDanny Leonard,
212-522-0361danny_leonard@timeinc.com
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