XR and documentary director Joe Hunting is launching a new VR production company: Painted Clouds

Joe Hunting, director of the acclaimed HBO documentary We Met In Virtual Reality is launching PAINTED CLOUDS, a production company dedicated exclusively to VR filmmaking. PAINTED CLOUDS is a visionary production studio with a focus on creating original films and series in real time VR, most notably inside the world of VRChat, one of the most popular virtual reality world platforms of all time.

Building on the success of We Met In Virtual Reality – which was the first commercially successful documentary of its kind – Hunting has dedicated himself to creating and nurturing films made entirely in VR. As immersive technology creates exciting new possibilities for the entertainment industry, PAINTED CLOUDS is embracing the future of film, and providing an innovative space for filmmakers to explore the infinite worlds of VR.

I’m thrilled to be moving forward in my aspirations to create progressive, diverse and emotive films using VR with PAINTED CLOUDS,” says. “I formed PAINTED CLOUDS with a passion to build a collaborative studio dedicated to real-time VR film production. Filmmaking inside VR feels like home to me, and I intend to build a talented crew of like-minded artists to continue fostering this playful cinematic form.

Joe Hunting

PAINTED CLOUDS’ high-quality productions will use virtual cinema cameras specifically designed with Hunting to capture original environments and characters within the colorful worlds of VRChat, taking full advantage of cutting-edge full body and facial tracking technology. The result will be a new and exciting way to bring virtual reality stories to the screen, while showing an expansive universe that has already captivated VRChat users all over the world.

Hunting’s feature-length directorial debut, We Met in Virtual Reality, premiered at Sundance 2022, where it was acquired by HBO Max and released to widespread critical acclaim, receiving a New York Times’ Critic’s Pick upon release. The film, also shot entirely within VRChat, depicts a series of intimate personal stories told by user’s avatars, playing out against the backdrop of virtual reality. Shot just as the pandemic began, the film showcases the ways that people connect and express themselves differently online, just as the physical world was forced into isolation.

“We Met in Virtual Reality is a glimpse into the burgeoning metaverse at a time when folks needed it most,” writes Wired’s Angela Watercutter. “Hunting’s film makes the case that all those dreamers who envision a digital world that brings people together might be onto something.” Peter Debruge from Variety further added to the sentiment, “We Met in Virtual Reality is a warmhearted, often humorous look at the sociology of such spaces.” Named Critic’s Pick by The New York Times, Nicolas Rapold notes that Hunting succeeds in showing how special VR can be, as it creates “a sanctuary for recovery (from depression, alcoholism, grief) and acceptance (for nonbinary visitors, for example, and for people of all abilities).”

Hunting is also launching PAINTED CLOUDS PARK, a VRChat world that will act as both a production studio and flexible event space. The park will serve as PAINTED CLOUDS’ HQ for collaborative media events, educational workshops and to experiment with further developing VR filmmaking technology.

The next major project to be directed by Joe Hunting and produced by Painted Clouds is an original narrative series scheduled to enter pre-production in 2024. Filming inside VRChat, the project is an original dramedy with an overarching mystery, which follows a relatable group of online friends exploring a social VR platform with consequences both inside and outside the game.

Hunting and Painted Clouds are repped by Cinetic Media.