The VR documentary Space Explorers premiered at the beginning of the year at the Sundance Film Festival, and the first chapter of the two-part production has also been available in the Oculus Store for some time now. We looked at A New Dawn for you and also tell you what you can expect in the future.
Felix & Paul Studios is one of the pioneers among VR filmmakers. The Canadian production company specializes in cinematic VR experiences and produces high-quality 360-degree films on a regular basis in cooperation with Oculus VR. Most of these are free productions with a short playing time.
Space Explorers is the studio’s most ambitious project in this respect. The first part of the documentary about the astronaut training of the US space agency NASA alone, which is already available now, covers almost 20 minutes. But does the VR film also convince in terms of content?
A New Dawn: Immersive Astronaut Training
Space Explorers: A New Dawn is all about training the NASA astronauts, who are training for their deployment on the International Space Station, among other things. At the side of the brave men and women, for example, we dive into a pool that simulates weightlessness in space. Elsewhere we take a seat in a jet fighter to prepare the space explorers for the G-forces during the shuttle launch.
The filmmakers always place their 360° camera very skilfully and create a high degree of variety. During the jet flight, for example, the camera is positioned on the seat behind the pilot, so that when we look around we feel as if we are truly sitting in the supersonic plane.
Elsewhere we accompany an astronaut during a buggy test drive in the American desert. In this case, the camera is placed in the front passenger seat in such a way that we not only get the impression that we are riding the buggy ourselves, but also that we personally listen to the words of the driver who is chatting from the NASA sewing box.
Celebrity voice from offstage
Thanks to a wide variety of first-hand insights and information, there is definitely plenty of variety. The good production is rounded off by the voice of Brie Larson, who plays the narrator in Space Explorers. The actress will take to the skies herself in the spring of 2019 as Captain Marvel in the movie of the same name.
Filmed in stereoscopic 3D, the 360-degree film shots do not have to hide from high-quality cinema productions. The pictures are sharp and voluminous, the colours are rich. Standing in front of a life-size space shuttle with your VR glasses on your head is simply a great virtual experience for sci-fi fans and technology enthusiasts in this quality.
Currently, Space Explorers only offers an English language version including optional English subtitles. However, an existing menu for language selection indicates that Felix & Paul Studios will add further languages (including German) to the film in the future.
Long-term goal: Mars
Space Explorers: A New Dawn is currently available for 2.99 Euros at the Oculus Store for Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR. The price is more than justified in terms of the quality of the content. However, it is not yet known when the second chapter of the NASA documentary will be published. But we already know a few details.
The second episode is entitled Taking Flight and will focus, among other things, on cooperation between the various national and private space programmes. By the way, the long-term goal, which NASA is working towards, has already been set: the flight to Mars.
As soon as the complete Space Explorers documentary is available, we will, of course, present you with a detailed VR documentary review. Until then, you can pass the time with Jurassic World Blue or the titles from our list of the best VR films. Those interested in filming in 360 degrees should also take a look at our review of the Vuze+ 3D 360° camera.
Have you watched Space Explorers: A New Dawn yet? What do you think of the VR documentary? Write us your opinion in the comments!