“It’s very positive to see that storytelling is first” – Sebastien Lefebvre (360 Film Festival)

Paris-based event SATIS-Screen4All (new merger between 37-years old SATIS and Screen4All Forum) is a 2-days show dedicated to creation and technological innovation in media, entertainment, and audio-visual communication. Their immersive section, 360 Film Festival, celebrates this year its 4th edition, with a large selection of VR/AR experiences, as well as large formats (3D mapping, Dome projection…). We met with Sébastien Lefebvre, curator of the 360 Film Festival.

Sebastien Lefebvre – We are more and more surprised by the quality and number of projects received at 360 ​​Film Festival: 143 projects from 27 countries this year. Especially on augmented reality and large formats – which we have been accepting since 2018 – it increased a lot. This is an indicator that creation is diversifying, and that creators are interested in our festival as well. It’s also increasing for the VR and 360 ​​video, with more finalized content, more storytelling, more points of view in fiction, documentary… even on brand content! It’s very positive to see that storytelling is first.

S. L. – Many projects are obviously French, by the nature of our event itself. But from our website we can see that many North American or Asian are interested to submit their experiences, even if we are still seeking more projects from Asia. Obviously we are part of a very strong French immersive industry, due to the work of production companies based in France. As long as their works are selected worldwide, they are taking the market to the top.

S. L. – About our audience, we are surprised to find VR enthusiasts, coming to the festival to see all the projects, but also exhibitors of the traditional SATIS show who came to test some projects, and then rather curious neophytes enjoying the easy access to the 360 Film Festival. Our goal of democratizing access to its new formats is therefore more than fulfilled! We want to continue on this path, and to encourage new vocations.

S. L. – Compared to 2018, we see more projects on social issues, dealing with inequalities, ethnic minorities. What marks me are projects like MARE NOSTRUM by Stefania Casini and Pascal Hanke (Germany) following a refugee, or LES AILES DE MOSSOUL by Chloé Rochereuil and Hugo Clément (France), talking about paragliders and their passion in a country at war. More broadly we notice the originality of projects like DECALCOMANIE by Siyeon Kim (South Korea) with some strange poetry: the format of the video 360 allows more and more things.

S. L. – We wanted a jury as varied as possible, to have several points of view between creation and technique and to help understand the maturity of the selection. With Gérard Krawczyk (french feature film director) as president, we also import the DNA of cinema, a technician with a great experience that responds to the themes explored by SATIS every year.

S. L. – To prepare the 360 ​​Film Festival and to understand the full scope of immersive creation, we moved to Cannes XR, New Images or Annecy. So many opportunities to discover amazing line-ups, but also which kind of projects are showcased. Cannes XR has been very effective for us, both in the number of projects presented and the presence of the creators there. It is more complex to see large formats, even if we move as often as possible.

S. L. – To extend the discussion on immersive formats, narration and technique, the SATIS has a wide range of conferences around technicals or storytelling issues. Including:

• A masterclass on AYAHUASCA – KOSMIK JOURNEY by Jan Kounen (France) by Rodolphe Chabrier, president of MacGuff (link),
• The double lecture MORE THAN HUMAN – HOW TO CREATE AND ANIMATE A REALISTIC PHOTO HUMAN on the creation of avatars, which is an important topic today for virtual reality, with Catherine Pelachaud (University of Pierre and Marie Curie), Fabien Barati (Emissive), Francois Bouille (French Touch Factory) and Cedric Guiard (EISK),
• ScenarioLab, a workshop organized by the Maison des Scenaristes and WeFilmGood where 3 selected authors will optimize their scenario live,
• What kind of distribution for immersive formats? Immersive contents are not yet consulted at home. To accelerate this development it is necessary that several factors converge (hardware of quality and inexpensive, centralized platform, wider content offer…). With Camille Lopato (Diversion Cinema), Alexandre ROUX (Lucid Realities), Yohan Bouché (ONIRIX), Agnès ALFANDARI (Institut Français).