Henrick Vartanian
Anne Frank in virtual reality? Yes, it’s happening. Jonah Hirsch, the producer from the acclaimed virtual reality film First and filmmaker Danny Abrahms will build on the success of Hirsch’s VR Wright Brothers film and are in production on a new VR film entitled Anne, announced this week by Hirsch. The project is being financed by CGO Studios, a newly formed virtual reality production company based in Los Angeles, with visual effects by Dilated Pixels, also based in Los Angeles.
“Anne Frank’s story has kept the memory of the Holocaust alive and promoted tolerance for generations. She is an international symbol for the plight of persecuted people during the Holocaust and of all victims of senseless discrimination. We are deeply committed to sharing Anne’s experience using cutting-edge modes of storytelling so that her story can live on and reach as many young people in the world as possible,” said Abrahms, writer/director of Anne.
Anne promises to recreate history and give users the opportunity to walk through Anne Frank’s unique and compact space, the annex, and feel like they are there. Participants will immerse into place and time, and move about the room, amongst the people, and sense the moment in a way never possible before VR.
“VR to me is this new, amazing tool that can allow viewers to connect with people and events like never before. I wanted to create a VR experience that connected viewers with arguably the most significant event in human history [World War 2 / The Holocaust] and I couldn’t think of a better way to explore this subject matter than through the story of Anne Frank,” said Abrahms.
Viewers Will Be Immersed in the Presence of Anne Frank and the Other Members in Hiding. By Allowing the User to Witness History This Way, VR Can Create More Powerful and Lasting Memories that Will Further Spark Interest and Awareness of the Subject Matter.
Virtual Reality can bring history, entertainment, and technology together and be used to create worthwhile films that mean something, enlighten, and entertain too. The producers will use virtual reality to transport viewers to the “hidden” annex circa 1942 with photorealistic visual fidelity.
“Like Wilbur and Orville’s first flight, I look for specific moments in history that have universal appeal, are significant in subject matter, and lend themselves well to a virtual reality experience,” added Hirsch.
Viewers will be immersed in the presence of Anne Frank and the other members in hiding. By allowing the user to witness history this way, VR can create more powerful and lasting memories that will further spark interest and awareness of the subject matter. The images from “First,” which are actual screen grabs, show how far “Anne” will go from the early render to the final version to become immersive VR.
Hirsch, the producer of the Wright Brother’s “First” VR experience, brought together the Smithsonian’s two leading curators form the National Air and Space Museum, as well as tech partner Advance Micro Devices (AMD) to provide cutting edge graphics cards and hardware to create a truly memorable experience.
