Immersive
The National Film and Television School carries out an extensive range of innovative activities in immersive (XR) storytelling and virtual production.
Through this work we are able to support industry professionals from across the UK to explore new forms of storytelling enabled by technology, as well as supporting existing and previous NFTS students through schemes such as Bridge to Industry.
CoSTAR
Funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), the National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a core partner for the CoSTAR National Lab for Research and Development in Creative Technology, a £51.1m investment by the UK Government in Applied Research to ensure the UK’s screen and performance industries have the research infrastructure and research and innovation skills to compete globally.
Partnered with Royal Holloway, University of London, Pinewood Studios, BT, Disguise, the University of Surrey/Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, Abertay University and Surrey County Council, the CoSTAR National Lab will place R&D at the heart of UK storytelling and storytelling at the heart of R&D.
Read more here: nfts.co.uk/article/royal-holloway-university-london-announced-lead-partner-costar-national-lab-which-nfts-core
Bridge to Industry - Immersive Storytelling Challenge
The NFTS Bridge to Industry scheme, supported by StoryFutures Academy, provided an opportunity for multi-disciplinary teams of NFTS graduates to make a 3-5 minute immersive project or experience. The selected team receives funding, alongside creative and technical support. Previous projects supported through the scheme include:
Midnight Story - a virtual reality experience voiced by Miriam Margolyes, directed by Antonin Niclass and produced by Jordi Morera. The project evolved from their 2021 graduate BAFTA-winning animation Do Not Feed The Pigeons. The VR short film premiered at the World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb 2022.
Seeds of Life - an original immersive experience, directed by Leto Meade and Christine Saab and produced by Michelle Brøndrum. The short film premiered in October 2021 and is celebrating global success in five festivals this year, including at Beyond Reality, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea).
A third project to be supported by the scheme will be VR game Tea Is Served, an immersive comedy horror experience inspired by a short game created by lead designer Casey Lodge, a graduate of the NFTS Games Design and Development course. Read more about the scheme here.
