NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES — Content creation studio Logan (www.logan.tv) has set up a new, standalone virtual reality division that will focus on experiential and virtual reality projects for the advertising, entertainment, and action sports industries. The unit is being led by company cofounder/director Ben Conrad and will be supported by its roster of multidisciplinary directors.
The official announcement comes following the studio’s recent work on Virtual Drift, a new project for Castrol Edge via agency The Brooklyn Brothers. The production company recreated their popular automotive films (
Gymkhana Seven, Castrol Blackout and
Recoil 2) in the virtual world using the Oculus Rift.
Virtual Drift begins by placing champion Formula Drifter Matt Powers and his 650-horsepower Mustang on a clear, open course, before connecting the driver to the Oculus gear. Blinded by the headset but fed images of a virtual obstacle course, Powers must drive his real car in response to the virtual environment. Powers skillfully maneuvers his way to safely avoiding pitfalls, falling boulders, and monster waves, as the entire virtual world collapses around him. The resulting film, directed by Conrad, shows an inventive use of the extraordinary VR technology.
To create this stunt, Conrad and his team of creative technologists, including Adam Amaral and Glenn Snyder, designed a digital, apocalyptic obstacle course to test the drivers’ reflexes and skills. They then wired a car in the real world with a triangulated GPS system and a network of sensors that would monitor variables including speed, temperature, torque, and throttle. Data was then collected and processed through a computer and plugged into the virtual world, essentially creating a replica of the car in the space. As the driver maneuvered in the real world, the virtual car would move as well.