On June 24-26, the French Cannes Film Festival entered the virtual world with an extended reality (XR) virtual event.
Marché du Film collaborated with Red Bull to set up the event, which offers a marketplace of innovative ideas and XR productions.
The event showcases 55 works and has “some of the most innovative experiences to date,” according to Loren Hammonds, Senior Programmer, Film & Immersive for Tribeca Film Festival.
One of the top projects is the ‘Red Bull: The Edge,’ an immersive MR experience featuring the notorious Matterhorn mountain range, which towers between the borders of Switzerland and Italy, and has been famous for over 150 years. The team at Red Bull are extending the range’s legacy with MR.
Red Bull The Edge
Austrian energy drinkmakers Red Bull and X Studio also teamed up to create The Edge experience, and are hosting it this summer with long-time partners, the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne.
From aviation events to winter sports, Red Bull are famous for using their brand to showcase thrilling sports events and chose the famous Matterhorn mountain to showcase its entry into MR technologies.
At the event, attendees are equipped with a virtual reality (VR) headset and harness to ascend a climbing wall with built-in haptics and wind effects to heighten the immersive experience.
Working with Swiss drone firm SenseFly, Orlando’s X Studio spent two years creating the stunning visuals from photogrammetric scans of the Matterhorn.
Visitors also climb the Matterhorn under guidance from Red Bull athlete Jérémie Heitz and mountain guide Sam Anthamatten.
The next-generation climbing wall is just the first step as Red Bull looks to increase its presence in Switzerland.
Red Bull Media House
Red Bull’s ‘The Edge’ experience is not the first time the beverage firm has worked with the Swiss Transport Museum.
The Austrian firm chose the Swiss museum to host its Everest VR booth, which ran from August 2020 until summer this year.
Continuing the longstanding partnership with the museum, Red Bull named Switzerland as the official home of the “Red Bull Media World”: a talent recruitment drive to innovate exhibitions and events.
Speaking further on the matter, a Red Bull spokesperson said:
“Together, they are launching the Red Bull Media World, which is dedicated to the theme of media innovation and the promotion of media talent in Switzerland.”
This reveals Red Bull is making a bold push for MR exhibition innovations, and only time will tell what they will come up with next.
