Across Creative Boundaries

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

(Royalty-free image by Paolo Ghedini from Pixabay.) What if you had the opportunity to create and implement new immersive technology? And what if the creative process were ongoing, as you took your creations ever further? That's exactly what's happening for VR, AR and XR subject-matter expert Geoff Bund. Geoff serves as Head of Business Development for the Americas for Helsinki-based VR and XR computer hardware company Varjo. And Varjo is breaking new ground, by merging physical, virtual and augmented reality. In October, they'll be showcasing both their pioneering virtual astronaut training, and a virtual VR/AR "command center" (think: audiovisual studio)! As a technical professional in the media field, Geoff has considerable experience in shooting stereoscopic movies. In 2015, his work in 3D led him to the opportunity to design the world's first professional virtual-reality camera. The result: the eight-lens "OZO", by Nokia. Then Geoff supervised film crews in the use of the OZO. His live 360 media projects included serving as the lead producer and engineer on the 2016 season finale of Dancing With the Stars. Another highly successful live project was the 2017 CMA Fest. According to Geoff's website, both projects went off flawlessly. In addition, Geoff served as technical supervisor for an unprecedented project. Working with USA Today, the OZO teams created the "Carrier 360" video, which takes viewers aboard the U.S.S. Eisenhower air carrier during preparation for combat training. Going beyond innovation Today, as VR, AR and XR become more widely-adopted, he continues to craft the future. "With Varjo, I have the opportunity to push the technology further," Geoff says. Now, he says, Varjo is developing new tools to address the gaps that have existed, previously, in the use of VR and AR. Geoff shared the story of creating the OZO camera, shared some of the ways Varjo is exploring the use of XR and offered some insights into creating successful immersive projects. On this edition of Over Coffee® you will hear: How his cinematic work led Geoff to the opportunity to create the world's first professional virtual-reality camera; What the experience of creating the "OZO" camera was like; What Geoff is currently seeing, in VR and AR research; A just-announced application from Varjo which lends itself well to education and collaboration; Some of the challenges Geoff encountered as crews begin working professionally with the OZO camera; Some good creative risks which he and his team took, early on; Geoff's advice for immersive-content producers; And, some very cool technology he's using right now!; What Geoff's experience was like, producing the live immersive experience for Dancing With the Stars (he had ten days to coordinate it!); The safeguards that helped make those live events flawless; Where to hear two of Geoff's upcoming presentations for Varjo (seriously cool immersive stuff coming up in October!); The ways in which he sees XR applications coming to the forefront during the pandemic