Oculus launches ‘VR for Good’ program

Student from Oakland High School filming his project for the 360 filmmaker challenge. (Image courtesy Oculus VR.)

Virtual reality trailblazer Oculus VR has launched its VR for Good program, offering support toÂ students, filmmakers, and nonprofit organizations looking to create immersive films.

The first part, aimed at high school students in the San Francisco area, is a six-week program designed to help students explore careers in the sciences and technology.

“Students will receive everything they need to create 360 videos for VR, including a Samsung Gear VR, a Galaxy S6, Ricoh Theta S 360 cameras, access to editing software, and VR film mentors,” the company said in its announcement yesterday.

The second program pairs rising filmmakers with non-profits and begins with a two-day bootcamp this July at the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook acquired Oculus two years ago for $2 billion.

“Weâ€™ll supply the film teams with everything they need to create professional 360 videos, including Nokia OZO cameras, post production support, travel budget, and one-on-one mentorship with industry veterans,” Oculus announced. “Weâ€™ll unveil the first videos at Sundance 2017.”

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Maria Korolov

Hypergrid Business editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist. During the day, Maria Korolov is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality. See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel. Email her at maria@hypergridbusiness.com. Her first virtual world novella, Krim Times, made the Amazon best-seller list in its category. Her second novella, The Lost King of Krim, is out now. She is also the publisher of MetaStellar, a new online magazine of speculative fiction.