New Zealand’s first 360 degree film to screen at Spark Festival

A new kind of interactive movie experience will have viewers wishing they had eyes in the back of their head.

Revolutionary Acts is New Zealand’s first 360 degree film, allowing viewers to see the story play out from all angles.

The film will be displayed on four walls like a “rectangle inside of a sphere” and it’s up to viewers to choose which section of the film they are watching at any one time.

The film, which will screen for the first time this Monday, is a murder mystery based around a film set and the death of the director.

It was an idea thought up by Signal Response, a team of Wintec Media Arts staff interested in immersive interactivity.

Member of Signal Response, Joe Citizen said that it’s easy to miss important parts of the film depending on which section you decide to watch at any particular time.

“You might see the end of the film and not understand why he’s dead. It’s up to you to put it together. You’re the detective,” Citizen said.

Citizen describes the experience as being a lot like Google Earth.

Revolutionary Acts was filmed on July 4th last year and was filmed in real time.

It is also “practically a zero budget production”.

“Whilst we get to play with expensive equipment, the reality of working with an educational institution is you’re often working with very small operational budgets.”

Signal Response worked with students and also the Free Lunch Street Theatre Company.

It’s a six-minute film and will play on a loop so viewers can watch it as many times as they need to in order to “solve the crime”.

It will screen as part of this year’s Spark Festival,  on Monday August 12 at 6pm in the R Block social space on Collingwood St.

Members of Signal Response are: Joe Citizen, Simon Nicholls, Jason Long and Kent MacPherson.