Most of us are lucky enough not to have experienced urban conflict first-hand, but VR can give us a sense of what that looks – and feels – like for people on the ground who have to actually live that reality.

Virtual Reality has been used many times to show the dreadful consequences of the Syrian conflict. As early as 2015, Chris Milk brought us Clouds Over Sidra and showed how VR was indeed a powerful “empathy machine” as he described the medium in a TED talk that gathered over 1.5 million views since then. The theme was also explored from different angles through BBC animation We Wait and Enter the Room which was the first project produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Most of us are lucky enough not to have experienced urban conflict first-hand, but VR can give us a sense of what that looks – and feels – like
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Virtual Reality has been used many times to show the dreadful consequences of the Syrian conflict
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Yet The Right Choice is the first use of interactive VR by the humanitarian sector that gives the viewer an active role in shaping the story of civilians trapped in a war zone. The film is a product of the Google Daydream Impact Project which aims to make a positive difference in society through the application of immersive technologies such as VR and AR.

“New technology, including virtual reality, can be a powerful tool to help a large audience understand the human cost of war,” believes Jennifer Hauseman, director of communications and information management at the ICRC.

In the experience, you’re placed next to a Syrian family trapped in urban warfare, and the title reflects on their terrible reality, where the decisions you’re asked to make represent the difference between them living or dying. In the face of attack, you have a choice as to what you do, yet none of those choices lead to a truly positive outcome. You’re stuck with a list of bad options.

The Right Choice is the first use of interactive VR by the humanitarian sector that gives the viewer an active role in shaping the story of civilians trapped in a war zone
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By polling users of the experience, the ICRC wants to understand more about people’s perception of urban warfare
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The Right Choice was filmed in Lebanon with guidance from ICRC workers who had direct experience of the Syrian conflict. It was produced in collaboration with several creative agencies such as Don’t Panic London, Visualise and Stoked Films.

By polling users of the experience, the ICRC wants to understand more about people’s perception of urban warfare and see how VR can influence behaviour and build empathy for those affected by war.

“This film asks: What would you do if you came under attack?” explains Christopher Nicholas, ICRC’s project lead for the film. “Virtual reality transports viewers from the comfort of their homes to the horrors of the battlefield in a visceral and powerful way,” he adds.

This work follows from I Saw My City Die, a report published by the ICRC in 2017 that highlights the impact on civilians of fighting in cities and towns in Syria and Iraq, revealing that urban offensives accounted for eight times more conflict-related civilian fatalities than on-going fighting or fighting in other areas. This means that urban conflict accounted for 70% of all civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria.

The Right Choice was filmed in Lebanon with guidance from ICRC workers who had direct experience of the Syrian conflict
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Audience insights from this experience will inform future investment in VR as a critical tool to educate people and raise awareness and action for humanitarian issues
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The main purpose of The Right Choice is to test VR’s potential to build empathy for these people who are still trapped in war zones every day. By surveying people in major global cities once devastated by war, the ICRC wants to find out if it is possible to change someone’s perception and incite behavioral change. Audience insights from this experience will inform future investment in VR as a critical tool to educate people and raise awareness and action for humanitarian issues.

”It can be hard to raise awareness around some situations – especially when they are distant. We are thankful to have partnered with ICRC to leverage VR to give insight into a complex situation, and helping give a voice to those left behind,” concludes Sarah Steele, VR Program Lead at Google.

The experience can be downloaded now from the Google Playstore and the iOS Apple Store.

The main purpose of The Right Choice is to test VR’s potential to build empathy for these people who are still trapped in war zones every day
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This article originally appeared on VRScout

Every Choice You Make Is Life Or Death In This Daydream Impact VR Experience via @alicebonasio https://t.co/g4CarRErnV pic.twitter.com/7ahqg2Otd9

— VRScout (@VRScout) October 31, 2018

For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Bringing War Home appeared first on Tech Trends.

The world’s biggest classical music festival is embracing Immersive Technology

This summer for the first time, the BBC Proms are holding an event in virtual reality. Produced by BBC VR Hub, Nothing to be Written commemorates the centenary of the First World War and was created by composer Anna Meredith and 59 productions – the Tony Award-winning company of artists behind the video design of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This summer for the first time, the BBC Proms are holding an event in virtual reality
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The experience conveys the atmosphere of hallways across the United Kingdom during that time, when families and friends waited quietly for news while violence raged in the trenches. It was developed primarily for Oculus Go and will be available on public release to other major VR and BBC platforms later this year.

Produced by BBC VR Hub, Nothing to be Written commemorates the centenary of the First World War
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The music featured in this 25-minute experience was recorded live on the First Night of the Proms, and captured in spatialised sound with high quality ambisonics. This new work for orchestra, choir and projections explores the varied forms of communication from the front lines. Its second movement, entitled ‘Field Postcard’, forms the basis of the VR experience, drawing on the talents of both the BBC Proms Youth Ensemble and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of their chief conductor, Sakari Oramo.

“To me, it mirrors the music I wrote by allowing you to experience the texture both at a distance or really zooming into the detail of the Field Postcards and the stories they tell beyond the prescribed text,” says Composers Anna Meredith.

The project helps to bring some of the lesser-known stories and history of the Great War to life, while enabling viewers to see and hear the BBC Proms in a new way. It comes in two iterations: Nothing to be Written – a seven-minute immersive experience inspired by one of the First World War’s primary communication modes, the ‘field postcard’; and a from ‘within’ the Royal Albert Hall.

The project helps to bring some of the lesser-known stories and history of the Great War to life, while enabling viewers to see and hear the BBC Proms in a new way
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As the music plays, the walls and geometry of the building morph and change.  “You find yourself alone in this spectacular space. There is a reverent hush alive with possibility. The space feels real, but heightened. As the music begins, the hall begins to transform in response to the music,” comments Lysander Ashton, Director of 59 Productions. The architecture around you shifts and changes, becoming a canvas on which the music is painted.”

“Five Telegrams has already been seen by thousands of people at live events in London and Edinburgh and hundreds of thousands more on television and online. I am delighted that this latest VR incarnation will reach even wider audiences and add a further ground-breaking development to the project,” says BBC Proms Director David Pickard.

Over 300,000 censored letters were sent each day from the front lines during the height of World War 1. During the war, censorship of mail meant that soldiers had few ways to regularly correspond with their loved ones at home. ‘Field postcards’, for example, offered soldiers the chance to quickly communicate their status, but at the cost of detail. “I am quite well”, “I have been admitted into hospital”, “I have received no letter from you” – for many, these stock phrases were their only regular link between families at home and soldiers on the Frontline.

Virtual Reality is the most exciting new technology in media today, and we’re using it to give viewers a new perspective on music and art with the BBC Proms
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Nothing to be Written takes the viewer on a highly emotive journey, positioning them as the main protagonist in the narrative: civilians transported on the same journey fared by their loved-ones during World War I. The piece merges two worlds – the hallways across the country with families and friends waiting for news, with the unrestrained violence of the front.

“Virtual Reality is the most exciting new technology in media today, and we’re using it to give viewers a new perspective on music and art with the BBC Proms. The experience helps the viewer understand the terrible gap between families at home and soldiers on the front line by putting them right at the heart of it. Anna’s beautiful, haunting music accompanies the viewers as they gain a greater understanding of the stark realities of life on the front line a century ago, and the painful pragmatism of the field postcard forcing interactions with loved ones into an expedient but heart-breaking tick box exercise,” says Zillah Watson, Commissioning Editor, BBC VR Hub.

The music featured in this 25-minute experience was recorded live on the First Night of the Proms, and captured in spatialised sound with high quality ambisonics
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“It’s always fascinating exploring the possibilities of VR, as a nascent medium, which seems to invite a mixture of filmic and theatrical approaches,” adds Ashton.

Nothing to be Written will have its world premiere at the BBC Proms on Tuesday 21^st August. It then travels to 14-18 NOW (the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary) – linked events throughout the Autumn, followed by an international premiere at Raindance Film Festival.

This article was originally published on VRScout

You Can Now Watch The BBC Proms Music Festival In VR via @alicebonasio https://t.co/5rOhlWsJZn pic.twitter.com/NV8kwO5wsX

— VRScout (@VRScout) August 14, 2018

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Watching the BBC Proms in Virtual Reality appeared first on Tech Trends.