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HoneyVR recreates the 1906 San Francisco quake and more in trailer of upcoming VR films

Keith Nelson Jr.
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Virtual reality content company HoneyVR unveiled a trailer showcasing 20 of more than 50 upcoming virtual reality films the company plans to release. The films are set to be released this spring, and are part of HoneyVR’s goal to release more than 200 VR films by the end of the year.
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The upcoming batch of films also appear to be a part of HoneyVR’s Time Traveler series, wherein filmmakers recreate events from the past for people to explore virtually. One of the films previewed, SF 1906, will place viewers in a two-minute recreation of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which destroyed more than 80 percent of San Francisco. So, when the ominous narration says HoneyVR plans to transport you “to another time,” it means it.

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HoneyVR’s films are set to be available on every virtual reality platform, but that does not mean anyone with a camera will be uploading their latest cat-watching documentary. “Unlike the other 360 video platforms — like Google’s YouTube and Samsung’s MilkVR, HoneyVR is not an open platform where anybody with a 360-video camera rig can post content,” CEO and co-founder Steven Austine told Digital Trends in an interview last September. Austine says HoneyVR takes this approach to ensure video quality and “to reduce nausea by avoiding camera tilting/panning, walk simulation, abrupt cuts, and other things,” among other reasons.

Austine says the virtual reality films would be directed by filmmakers from the company’s “Hive” network of creatives, and a selection would work closely with charities to address larger issues as part of its Catalyst film series. While none of those films were previewed in the trailer, one of the films that was included will have viewers swimming with the fishes, which falls in line with HoneyVR’s view of how virtual reality can be used by nonprofits for conservation efforts, according to the company’s website.

It won’t all be history and no fun, however. Austine explained how a HoneyVR film needs to have magic with its message. “It’s not enough to just be a good cause,” Austine said. “HoneyVR is an entertainment platform at its core, so we’re looking for messages that will translate into a highly entertaining and memorable VR experience,” citing a five-minute adventure film called Evil Nazis Go To Hell, which envisions a Nazi experiment gone wrong. Prepare to travel across time and dimensions all from your seat.

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Keith Nelson Jr.
Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
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