First Wednesday In July based on Swedens largest folk music festival Bingsjöstämman is one of the world’s first music Virtual Reality (VR) music documentaries. During a week in July 2018 the Swedish and Australian team filmed some of the world’s best folk musicians gathered in one place at Bingsjö, Dalarna.
In groups on fields, stages and in incredibly beautiful heritage-listed buildings the crew had the unique opportunity to shoot musicians of all ages and from diverse backgrounds. They aim to spread the heart of Swedish music, culture and history to a wide, international audience using Virtual Reality. The post-production process is well underway and the team have launched a Kickstarter campaign to speed up the process in order for it to reach the project’s financial and creative goals.
They are currently preparing for their first official premiere of scenes from First Wednesday In July at Sweden’s main centre for folk music, Folkmusikens Hus. They will be playing the main part of the 50th anniversary exhibition of Bingsjöstämman. Their immersive exhibition with three different VR-booths will be displayed from June 18 to August 24 in collaboration with Folkmusikens Hus, Bingsjöstämman and Dalarnas Museum.
A segment of First Wednesday In July was screened at the recent Gold Coast film festival’s curated VR-section where their VR-technician Benjamin Richards and Producer Karolina Berkell-Kirk participated in a panel which covered the approach in VR and where the VR/AR trend is heading next. They are currently holding meetings with the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts where they aim to exhibit their VR-experience in its entirety later this year as well as take it to domestic and international festivals.
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