Proximity will no longer determine who you spend your time with. In this blog I summarize how Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have changed and questioned the very fundamentals of physics and social engagements.

On 3rd October, 2016, our own Daniel Cheetham, Chief Interactive Officer at Happy Finish, will be speaking alongside the likes of Sir Richard Branson and many other innovative leaders in various creative fields, at the inspiring Virgin Disruptors conference held in London. The event focuses on creating tangible change across businesses and the world through a full schedule of stimulating speakers and interactive installations shared by like-minded changemakers. Tickets are on sale here; grab yours quick so you don't miss out on this extraordinary event! 

Leading up to the event, Daniel spoke with Virgin Content Executive, Natalie Clarkson, to discuss how virtual reality is quickly reaching a point where it will change the way we live our lives.  

Just recently I’ve noticed the increased popularity of the #fashtech movement, which charts and celebrates the convergence of fashion and technology.  When you think about it, the two have much in common; both constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant, desirable and innovative.

At Dubai Lynx 2016, my keynote, 'VR with a Happy Finish', streamed live on TVAE and posed the question, "VR - Is it just a fad?".  Well at last year’s Cannes Lions, virtual reality headsets could be seen everywhere. You couldn't walk onto a beach or into a bar without seeing someone rotate their head like an owl, staring into a headset and uttering the words, "Wow! This is so cool!". The same can be said of Dubai Lynx, at which most speakers included virtual reality at some point within their presentations.

Virtual reality isn't new. In the early 90s, I remember going to The Trocadero in London and experiencing Virtuality’s VR Racing Game; sitting in a plastic racing car, sporting a virtual reality headset the size of a trash can, and driving around a racetrack in a polygonal, CGI racing car, which looked like it had been plucked from Dire Straits', "Money For Nothing" music video. Whilst I've never forgotten that first taste of virtual reality, I was disappointed that the image didn't keep up with my head movement and the quality was so basic. However, I do recall enjoying the experience and thinking that one day this would to be the way we will be entertained. I wondered if that day would be in my lifetime. In my opinion, that time is now. 

 I have always been interested in Virtual Reality. I played my first computer game by typing it out, line by line, in the BASIC coding language into a Spectrum ZX81^[1]. Virtual Reality made a brief appearance in amusement arcades in the late 1980s and then disappeared again due to latency, reliability and expense. Since then I could hardly wait for the full immersive experience and it has been a long time coming.

So fast forward to 2012 and I find myself running a company called Happy Finish where we produce a lot of imagery and computer generated animations for global brand advertising, and finally the Oculus Rift appears on kickstarter, and Virtual Reality is about to emerge from its long hibernation in university research departments and back into the commercial arena.

So you’ve heard all the hype about using Google Cardboards (GC) for watching virtual reality (VR) content, you’ve unwrapped your first one, but how do you use it?  Where do you start?  

Well it works with a mobile smartphone, so you will need one of those for sure, and fear not, they're not all plain brown, the branding options are endless.  

These 5 tips will help you make the best out of yours in no time, and soon you’ll be bringing it to all your parties (real parties).  

Uncanny Valley, a short film written and directed by Argentinean filmmaker Federico Heller, paints a very grim picture of virtual reality. Heller shows a future populated by a burnout generation, VR junkies who lost touch with reality and survive only to sustain their virtual existence. That in many ways could be a stretch of his imagination, but even if it is, there are no second thoughts about how the "Virtual" world is taking away "Reality" from many.

Virtual reality is a powerful communication tool, however without the right ingredients it has the possibility to end up on the shelf.  That one key ingredient is storytelling.  The power of storytelling is immense, enabling the realism in the virtual world - it is the anchor, and without it a strong campaign return on investment (ROI) is unlikely.

Photograph by ©Nikola Krtolica used with kind permission of http://nikola-photographe.com

Last week, I was kindly invited by Cristal Festival to give a keynote presentation about VR & AR, in which I:

• Explored the ways in which these new technologies enable brands to communicate with consumers in new exciting and immersive ways.
• Shared with the audience some projects Happy Finish has created, with our clients and partners, throughout 2015.
• Discussed how VR is already maturing, developing its own storytelling and narrative styles.
• Looked at the impressive cost savings and ROI stats that brands can enjoy with VR solutions and campaigns.

The next few months will see the closing of what has seemed like an eternal beta phase for the Virtual Reality industry. Last week saw the consumer release of the Samsung GearVR, the first of the four mass produced head-mounted-displays (HMD’s) coming to market in the next year. The GearVR has sold out across all outlets until after Christmas and is predicted to account for the majority of HMD market share over the coming year, mostly because it's not a stand alone VR solution like the Oculus, Vive and Morpheus which require a much greater outlay comparable to a low-end T.V or a games console.  The GearVR is a relatively low cost accessory or add-on (retailing at $99) for users of Samsung smartphones which account for the largest share of the smartphone market at approximately 20% compared to Apple's 14%. The potential user base for GearVR is the order of hundreds of millions.

At Happy Finish we’ve worked on several innovative and immersive 360 degree Virtual Reality projects for some very high profile clients that include Asda, Becker Beer and Subway.

As a Colourist, working with the footage for these films presents some interesting challenges, and I’ve found that there are two different ways you can approach grading such a project.

To celebrate Halloween we’ve written this short blog to provide insight into how Virtual Reality can create a more immersive experience. 

As humans we've always been fascinated with our own existence, with a lifetime to focus on shaping ourselves in the way we see fit. There's something unique in our existence though. First we draw breath and only then do we shape ourselves in a truly tangible environment. 

A round-up of my experiences at Spikes Asia 2015

Having just returned from Spikes Asia with Jimi Gu, our Shanghai Studio General Manager, I wanted to share the buzz and creativity from the event.  Spikes Asia is where Asia Pacific’s creative community comes together for a spectacular three-day celebration of creativity in communications. From forward-thinking seminars by the industry's most influential figures to superb networking events, training and exhibitions of the region's best creative work, it's an opportunity not to be missed. 

 For more than 30,000 years human beings have adopted creative and artistic mediums with a goal to convey an experience or emotion, with the aim to evoke the feeling of empathy with a situation or location.