White Spark Pictures Secures Funding Partners for New VR Films

White Spark Pictures is in development on three new VR films, courtesy of a three-year AUD$1 million investment from the National Museum of Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The first project in development is The Kimberley VR Experience, a 360-degree documentary that takes audiences flying over the waterfalls, coastlines and heart of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is due to launch in the second half of 2024.

Other films in development are Journey of the Giants, taking a 360-degree deep dive into the world of whales, following their migration and exploring their long history, and The Kermadec Islands, giving viewers the chance to experience the marine wonderland deep in the South Pacific Ocean.

The VR films will be available at the three investor museums, but over time, they will also be made available to a wide range of international venues.

The National Museum of Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the Auckland Museum have each hosted (and continue to host at given periods) either one or both of White Spark Pictures’ earlier VR films The Antarctica Experience and Beyond the Milky Way.

Briege Whitehead from White Spark Pictures said, “We are thrilled that our earlier VR films are the catalyst for this game-changing, world-first content partnership and are incredibly excited to be working with these exceptional museums for many years to come.

“These venues are visionary in the way that they have embraced the opportunity VR presents. With technology improving all the time, and with venues and attractions constantly looking for unique new experiences to offer their visitors, demand for world-class, cost-effective and scalable offerings like ours, which are the perfect fit for any site, will only increase. At present, lack of available content is a major barrier, so it is very astute of these museums to invest in their own pipeline.

“For my part, I hope this partnership also inspires TV and film producers to look into VR production. We are proving there is a demand for great immersive content, and this in turn should provide a lot of opportunity for some of the amazing production talent out there to expand their capabilities. And with production slowing down in many parts of the world, now might be a great time to investigate. We started out in TV production and continue to make factual programming. What we’re now seeing is a bridging of these worlds where traditional cinema experiences, television and new technology-led formats are coming together to become a driving force in the future of entertainment.”