Oscar? Who cares – we’re in Cannes

By Holger Schalk

Harry Potter, Superman, Sherlock Holmes and James Bond are already there, but apart from them – nothing. No curtain up, no big show “just” Mike. Which Mike? Mike McGee. Three Oscars – no lobby. Good for me. So you almost get a private coach, who won three Oscars for Visual Effects for “The golden Compass”, “Gravity” and “Bladerunner” with Framestore.

Creating stories through technology like never before – Mike can do that like noone else. But like me, all visitors want more: To be a part of the story.

“Creativity and technology were once seen as mutually exclusive, but now that we’re so dependent on digital and high tech, they’ve joined together to form a melting pot of creative possibilities.” So all we need is an open space and a headset for an immersive experience. This means for all new or partly empty spaces in cities an unused marketing opportunity. This is how retail spaces become entertainment destinations. At Westfield in London this was an immediately sold out VR happening around the clock. Feelings you experience in VR are about real, so observers without glasses always have a lot to experience.

But despite all the fun, this technology is just developing in the right direction, says Mike. “It’s rewarding to be part of something that’s so full of creative possibilities. But it would be all the more rewarding to use virtual reality in a way that does good and doesn’t just feel good.

For me this is the true essence of creativity.