Award Winning VR short "Manifest 99" comes to CTN Animation Expo
The annual CTN Animation Expo is set to begin this weekend from November 17th to the 19th in Burbank, California. With a wide array of events and guests from the animation community who continue to push the boundaries of what the medium is capable of.
One such individual is Brandon Oldenburg. For 15 years he served as Reel FX's Senior Creative director and worked with a number of different clients such as Trouble Maker Studios, Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky Studios. He has collaborated with animation filmmaker William Joyce, on a multitude of different projects including the creation of Moonbot Studios. The studio responsible for the Academy Award-winning animated short film, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore".
Now, as the Chief Creative Officer of the new media creative studio Flight School, Oldenburg will be hosting a series of screenings in the CTNx VR Hanger on Nov 17th. One of the screenings will include Flight School's latest award-winning VR short, Manifest 99.
If you haven't heard of Manifest 99 yet, here is a quick summary.
"Manifest 99 is an ominous and eerie story about finding redemption in the afterlife created by Flight School. Set on a mysterious train inhabited by a murder of crows, you assist four travel companions on a journey to their final destination. Manifest 99 is a virtual reality experience played without a controller: You gaze into the eyes of the crows to move to their perch, viewing the world from their scale and perspective. By discovering the items left behind by your travel companions, you uncover the reason why they—and you—are on this train into the great beyond."
This surreal yet fascinating story has already received numerous accolades from critics including VRScout, VRFocus, UploadVR and Pure Playstation. It also received the Juried Award when it premiered at the Future of Storytelling Festival.
As the medium of VR continues to grow, it is important that the creative minds in the animation industry continue to look forward to how this new form of entertainment can be used to enhance animated storytelling. A fact that both the CTN Animation Expo and Flight School are prepared to celebrate and explore.
Check out the trailer for Manifest 99!
