“We place storytelling at the forefront” – Loren Hammonds (Tribeca Immersive)

The Tribeca Film Festival is amongst the first entertainment event every year, and it’s still growing attention with a fearless line-up of talents and projects. This year’s Immersive selection seems to be the best one possible, with names within the industry (Tricart, Darnell, Ayats, Brillhart…) and new comers, with a focus on high quality experiences, including Jan Kounen with 2 projects, Doctor Who and (finally the long version of) Wolves in the wall. We had the chance to ask few questions to Loren Hammonds, Senior Programmer, Film & Immersive for Tribeca Film Festival.

About Tribeca 2019 and the Immersive selection

Loren Hammonds – At Tribeca Immersive, we place storytelling at the forefront of the curation. We ask ourselves: can this story be told as effectively in another medium? If the answer is yes, then it’s probably not right for us. Of course we also fully embrace the Festival’s role as a destination for Location Based Entertainment, so we look for experiences that can’t necessarily be duplicated at home. The in-headset experience is important, but so is the exhibition and installation design. Tribeca Immersive is a showcase for the finest new work in the medium, and we also present an immersive space for our audiences to explore.

Immersive experiences.. and how to present them

L. H. – I like the ability to see through another’s eyes. When an experience is well done, it has the power to transport you to impossible places or help you to understand other perspectives. Installations are very important to our exhibition, and we encourage selected creators to use nearly as much ingenuity and thought in the presentation of their project as they’ve given to the in-headset experience.

What’s next?

L. H. – There’s such a promising future for different types of interactivity to help to drive narrative forward. Vocal interactivity adds a greater level of immersion, and we’re already at the point where A.I. Characters have been developed that are ready to react in real time to your decisions. I also think that a so-called shot grammar will continue to be developed to allow for smoother transitions without disrupting the illusion.