The SilverStar Mountain Museum has stepped into the virtual reality sphere with the help of Vernon’s newest VR company, Evolved Reality.
Through the relationship with the museum, which is an affiliate of the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives, Evolved Reality founder Tim Bieber and his team crafted the immersive application that delves into the resort’s 60-year history.
“We’ve partnered with SilverStar Mountain Museum and have created a 360 app experience,” Bieber said. “It’s an interactive experience where museum-goers can view a documentary we’ve created on SilverStar in full 360 and see from the beginning, hear from the old-timers who helped create and craft this magical SilverStar Resort.”
The application, which utilizes an Oculus Go headset and is only available at the museum, also features old footage and images from the resort’s history. Viewers can also click on the fire finder and take in the 360-degree view from the lookout during the 1940s.
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“It’s just an interactive and fun way to be able to experience that content in virtual reality,” Bieber said.
When the application opens, the viewer is immersed into the museum itself and directed by an on-screen museum volunteer who explains what items to click on and what can be seen in the headset.
Bieber, who is a frequent skier at the resort, said the partnership was a good test for the company’s assets.
“The museum and the amazing work of pulling all this archival footage together just made it a good partnership to be able to create the live action content on the mountain, the ski footage which is challenging. With these cameras, we wanted to sort of tax the system and do the most challenging project first,” Bieber said of the application’s production.
Due to those challenges, Bieber said the production took longer than expected but allowed Evolved Reality to work out any kinks in the equipment and gain an in-depth knowledge of how the technology is best utilized.
“There was hundreds, if not thousands, of hours from VFX (visual effects) team and production team. It’s been a lot of work but it’s been a lot of fun,” Bieber said.
Evolved Reality, which got its start in February 2018, has created a film, branded content and branded apps like the SilverStar Museum application and app experiences that live across mobile and VR platforms.
“We’ve accomplished a lot in a small amount of time,” Bieber said. “We’re really enjoying playing with storytelling.”
The company’s first film, Bieber said, is a science fiction flick filmed in the old Lavington glass factory.
“It’s really entertaining, so we’ll do more of those and playing with how we can do 360 production,” Bieber said.
“I love to innovate. My whole career and existence have basically been in innovating new technologies so I think that’s what’s most exciting about this are playing with new environments.”
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