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Explore the first movie filmed for the Oculus Rift with an interactive trailer

Explore the first movie filmed for the Oculus Rift with an interactive trailer

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Condition One Zero Point Oculus Still
Condition One Zero Point Oculus Still

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset won't just be a games platform — it already supports 3D movie and 360-degree photo viewing. Today, though, we're getting a hint of what we may see from the first professionally produced VR movie. Short documentary "Zero Point" is a project by Condition One, an immersive video startup backed by Mark Cuban. Condition One's earlier projects let iPad users "move" through footage with a 180-degree field of vision, a more limited version of what the Rift allows. There's another very good reason it's suited for the project. Founder Danfung Dennis, who created and directed "Zero Point," is a photographer and filmmaker whose feature-length documentary Hell and Back Again was nominated for an Oscar in 2012.

Dennis and Condition One first announced the documentary last year. Today, the first fruits of the project appeared in an interactive trailer, which uses Condition One's 180-degree video tech to give viewers a taste of what they'll see in the final film. In a move that's either fitting or redundant, Dennis' documentary for the Oculus Rift is also a documentary about the Oculus Rift, as well as the larger resurgence of virtual reality it's helped spark. In the trailer, you'll see footage of Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and last year's E3 gaming show, where the Rift was on display. While the Rift will let viewers turn around, look up and down, and see the movie from just about any angle, this interactive trailer is a lot more limited, with a black void surrounding a wide-angle photo. If you have an Oculus Rift developer kit, you'll be able to see the full film later in 2014.