Actor John Hamm being captured by 8i’s cameras for a ‘volumetric hologram’ AKA #HoloHamm.
The Weta Group of companies smashed the doors wide open to a world of on-screen imagination and along the way provided the anchor to Wellington’s booming screen and technology sectors. Now, a gaggle of talented Weta offspring are exploring new frontiers as they help turn the capital into a global hotspot for virtual reality.
Once upon a time the word Weta would have evoked little more than stories about giant bugs, but the rise of celebrated film prop makers Weta Workshop – along with the other Weta companies – means the word is also intrinsically linked to movie memories and anecdotes.
Weta Workshop helped kick-start a crucial part of Wellington’s creative economy and defined an important part of the city’s modern identity. Proof is easy to see on arrival or departure from Wellington Airport where giant reminders are everywhere.
Sir Richard Taylor, Sir Peter Jackson and Jamie Selkirk are names neatly etched into Wellington’s history books.
In 1987 Taylor and his now-wife Tania started working in the back of their flat with dreams of crafting models and props for the country’s creative industries.
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In many ways the formation of Weta Digital and Weta Workshop was the genesis for the collision of the worlds of creativity and technology in the capital, L2VR’s Lance Lones says.
“They brought in world-class talent that has not only stuck around but went on to create a host of interesting startups here in the capital.”
Lones, a former NASA rocket scientist, is well-placed to comment on the influx of talent. He moved to Wellington from Los Angeles in 2001 to help create special effects on Sir Peter’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King blockbuster.
The evolution of VR is the logical next step for Wellington, which is well known for building virtual worlds to begin with, he says.
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Like many of Wellington’s creative businesses, L2VR refers to itself as a company of Weta graduates, founded by artists and technologists who are interested in pushing boundaries and exploring frontiers.
Crafting “cinematic virtual reality weapons for revolutionary storytellers”, L2VR is researching and building gigapixel-per-second 3D 360-degree camera systems and tools out of its hideout in Wellington’s former Air Force base at Shelly Bay.
“We see virtual reality as one of the next great transformations in storytelling and myth-making that has the potential to literally change the world,” Lones says. “Like filmmaking a century ago, there are no rules so we get to help find them.”
The community’s connectedness and willingness to support risky ventures gives creative folks in the city the ability to experiment and research in a way that would be much more difficult in places like Los Angeles or San Francisco, Lones says.
The digital frontier
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8i’s Toni Moyes says Wellington has become a growing technology hub for visual effects and technology talent.
“The city offers an excellent quality of life, which makes it easier for companies like 8i to attract world-class talent from around the world.”
The community of technologists and entrepreneurs that have built Wellington as a tech hub is largely down to Weta, she says.
“Weta has been a game changer for Wellington. It has acted as a global centre of excellence and an anchor for the tech ecosystem.”
VR and AR present a huge opportunity for Wellington to leverage its competitive advantage and make its mark in one of the most important global technology sectors, she says.
“We want to keep the city at the digital frontier.”
A new world
Chris Mather, the young founder of Point Zero, is also getting in on the action with HoloSpace, the world’s first interactive hologram display.
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Mather says HoloSpace provides a new world for digital storytelling that brings interactive visualisations into the world around us – no goggles required.
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Source: Idealog