Extended reality (XR) filming studio Prox & Reverie has begun developing a new project, Interchange, which will allow audiences to join full immersive experiences in public places.
The Doncaster, UK-based company has partnered with Warner Bros to build lifelike, motion-captured (mocap) avatars for audiences at numerous locations in photorealistic immersive environments.
According to Broadcast, the firm would install its Interchange doorways globally at WarnerMedia launch events, including libraries, education centres, shopping malls, and sports venues.
Professor Andrew Chitty, Challenge Director at the UK Research Institute (UKRI), said in a statement the partnership with Warner Bros was a “testament to the truly gorundbreaking [MR] work” taking place in Doncaster and “wider XR Stories cluster across Yorkshire.”
He explained further, adding,
“It is evidence that our Creative Clusters approach is working by bringing together entrepreneurial CreaTech businesses with researchers and major industry players and catalysing innovation through targeted support and investment”
Developing the studio in central Doncaster with partner firms in sectors such as visual effects (VFX), gaming, virtual production, and media skills training, would “establish a World leading creative digital sector in South Yorkshire,” Alistair Maclean-Clark, CEO and Founder of Prox & Reverie added.
The Forge is Born
The announcement comes just days after Prox & Reverie opened a new XR studio for developing immersive content using high-end solutions from leading firms such as Varjo, Faceware, Oculus, Xsens, Unity, and Unreal Engine, among others.
‘The Forge’ is the studio’s latest facility, which features a 2,000-square-foot stage for mocap sessions, filming, and developing MR experiences, and will allow the firm to partner with additional studios and content creators for immersive content.
Several other enterprises, including AR giant Snap and London-based Poplar Studio, have developed similar facilities for producing XR content in a bid to expand advertisement and content creator ecosystems, partnerships, and solutions for the industry.
