BAFTA Sets Up Virtual Reality Advisory Group

LONDON: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is establishing a virtual reality advisory group, tasked with exploring the impact that VR will have on the film, TV and games industries and the opportunities it presents.

The group will be spearheaded out of Los Angeles and its insights will be used to inform BAFTA’s global activities in the U.S., U.K. and other international markets. The advisory group will also explore the most appropriate ways to incorporate VR into BAFTA’s broader remit.

Roy Taylor, AMD’s corporate VP for technology and content, will serve as chair. The group will be comprised of individuals representing both the technology and creative sectors. “I am thrilled that BAFTA has invited me to lead this advisory panel,” said Taylor. “I am looking forward to working alongside my industry colleagues in order to develop a greater understanding of the function and creative possibilities of VR.”

Chantal Rickards, CEO of BAFTA Los Angeles, said: “Virtual reality has become one of the hottest new mediums in our industry, but there remain questions around what impact it will have on our creative world. As a global community of members representing the many sectors of the industry, BAFTA is committed to exploring these important questions and determining how best to build VR into our future initiatives.”

Nick Button-Brown, chair of BAFTA’s games committee, said: “We are hugely excited to be providing a platform for discussion on VR’s significance across all the creative industries, BAFTA’s role in celebrating excellence in this field, and, crucially, how we can support the next generation of talent to find new ways to work with this medium. Although based in Los Angeles, the advisory group will discuss, explore and inform BAFTA’s global activities in the realms of virtual reality, and with its impact cutting across different industries, will be completely connected to our sector committees for games, film and television.”