Microsoft could be interested to see how HoloLens will affect the cinema in the future. According to A. Todd, Microsoft reached out to Bellpond Studios to challenge them to create a short film with the augmented reality headset.
The small production studio is stationed in Salt Lake City, Utah where it films story based commercials and short films, their videos mostly posted on YouTube.
With the Microsoft HoloLens in hand, Bellpond Studios produced two short films. One titled Sunset Overdrive involving a monster chase and parkour. The other is simply called Warcraft, where the Orc named Orgrim Doomhammer pops out from the big screen and comes to life for a rather over enthusiastic fan.
Both films were recorded with Actiongram, the free recording tool on the HoloLens app store that lets anyone with the augmented reality device become a film artist. For much of the crew, this was a first-time experience rigging up cameras with HoloLens and being able to move around the 3D virtual object in real time.
HoloLens Tech Danielle Blanc assisted with the shooting of the two films by mapping through the environment. This way, the HoloLens can clearly define the perimeter and elevation where 3D objects can be rendered.
One actor explained that it really gave a look into how professional movie crews must feel, interacting with invisible objects and CGI characters. This brings up an interesting point that the HoloLens could potentially be the beginning of professional filming from small studios, bringing high-quality projects to life through HoloLen’s recording.
It’s safe to say that Bellpond Studios met the challenge and then some. It will be interesting to see what HoloLens brings to the movie industry in the future, or if this will be just a hobby from what will likely be called a very versatile device.
These films and more can be found on Bellpond Studios’ official YouTube channel.
