The Martian VR Experience
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2016 - Silver Lion (Winner)
This exceptionally animated VR lets viewers step into the shoes of astronaut Mark Watney on the dangerous surface of the Red Planet, as he performs tasks that will facilitate his chances for survival and rescue. Viewers can fly onto the surface of Mars, steer at zero gravity through space, drive a rover, and experience other key scenes from Ridley Scott’s hit film The Martian.
Convinced this was the perfect vehicle to commercialize VR, Robert expanded the project into several interactive experiences that simulate the isolation of character as he navigates life on Mars. The result is a near 30-minute journey, stitched together with scenes from the film that, in combination with Oculus Touch controllers, lets the viewer throw potatoes, navigate cold space, drive a rover, harvest plutonium and salvage solar panels. Robert infused the VR experience with a narrative and emotions in a way that hadn't been successful before. His ability to build the cinematic experience stemmed from his award-winning career in Hollywood.
“The Martian VR Experience is a fantastical, daring adventure through the solar system. Who wouldn’t want to try their hand at virtual Martian botany or fly through an atmosphere with a depressurized suit?”
“It’s initially quite engaging to be thrust onto the surface of this barren planet but, the humdrum nature of the narrative quickly kicks in as you are tasked with a series of dull activities such as throwing potatoes into barrels and removing rocks to clear a canister of plutonium. These interactive sequences do quite fairly mirror the thematic and narrative beats of the film which, after all, set out to highlight the ordinary aspects of surviving in a perilous landscape.”
