Roundtable: Creating and delivering immersive content

Next-generation immersive content provides almost limitless opportunities, according to an expert IBC365 panel.  

“The multiperson experience is the direction the broadcast industry will be going in,” Muki Kulhan, Executive Digital Producer said. 

Sky VR Studios Technical Director Richard Mills said: ”Augmented reality (AR) will have a much bigger audience than virtual reality (VR) in the next two years because once you get the phone there is no barrier to entry, it is just about education. 

 “There are no boundaries to our imagination but we have a hardware gap” - Richard Mills 

He said: ”There are no boundaries to our imagination but we have a hardware gap at the moment because even the untethered headsets are not as good as the tethered.

“We have that technology barrier but we are just starting to appreciate what the creative needs in a year or two will be.

Digital Domain Europe Director of Business Development Julian Randall said: “We are looking at the future and how we create these types of volumetric, interactive stories in a way that is scalable and accessible. 

”How do we get these super high experiences into hands of consumers to understand it is worth the investment.”

Kulhan continued: “VR is platform agnostic and making those experiences more sophisticated is crucial.” 

Mills said: ”When technology catches up to the creative arc at that point things will be great. It has got to be social, accessible across a variety of platforms and it has to be engaging.”

Blend Media Vice President Licensing and Partnerships Lee Owen said: “Experiment in this space and through these channels and educating people on what a 360 video is so they can see and feel it will help feed the pipeline of potential customers to go into these high-end immersive experiences.

“The ability to consume content at quicker speeds will be enormously helpful.”

Dream Reality Interactive Chief Executive Dave Ranyard explained the opportunity to give audiences interaction in a 3D space is where traditional media, gaming and technology collide. 

”Making software rather than media is the zenith of these industries coming together” - Dave Ranyard 

He said: “Narrative storytelling is different to traditional 2D screen production perspectives.

“Making software rather than media is the zenith of these industries coming together. We don’t go on these journies on our own we want to experience it with our friends and family.”