Fantaventura VR

Project
FantaVentura is an interactive, psychedelic music VR experience created for the German band ‘Die Fantastischen Vier’.
The VR experience uses Leap Motion hand-tracking, interactive sound, volumetric video, animation, 360 film, to tell a story that is as much about time and aging, relationships, trust and loyalty as it is about members of the band dropping acid on a tropical beach 25 years ago, and changing the way they saw the world.   

Music
FantaVentura was the result of another creative collaboration with Mike Robbins in a Virtual Reality project. I focused in reinterpreting interactively existing music, reorganising it in a completely new VR experience. The challenge was the creative constrain of using sound elements inspired by the specific piece of music, trying to stay as close to the original. In some cases, literally by using sounds coming directly from the composition or in other by using sound processes and reusing them in an interactive manner, or in others by sounds inspired by the original piece. The creative sound creation in a psychedelic inspired setting was a creative playground:  

  • The sound of a closing door with the echo of a snare.
  • The sound of frantic string orchestra produced by flying seahorses
  • Iconic synth sound used for the beam produced by the user
  • The sound of soap bubble popping while planets were casually exploded by the user

Another part of the work, was the use of ambisonic sound for the 360 videos. The attempt was to keep the voice In a simple manner, but at the same time, enhance the sounds in a surrounding environment using some contemporary technics of perception in spatialisation. This part of the job was rather technical in order to keep clarity in the voice while being creative add some new elements.

A 6DOF version for HTC Vive is available for download on Steam and a 360 version can be seen on the Telekom Magenta app.

Exhibitions:
September 2019 – IFA, Berlin, Germany
September 2019 – IAA, Frankfurt, Germany
January – August 2020 – Stadtpalais Museum für Stuttgart, Germany

Cancelled due to COVID-19:
March 2020 – CPH:DOX, Copenhagen, Denmark
May 2020 – FMX, Stuttgart, Germany
June 2020 – VRHAM!, Hamburg, Germany

Produced by:
High Road Stories
Radar Media
gebrüder beetz filmproduktion
Musikwirtschaft GmbH

Fish swimming casually at the beach while looked by an eye inside a hovering bubble
Project team with the Fanta4 band members in the presentation at IFA exhibition, Berlin