The Vanishing Point is an animated music video app from Ben Sollee that can be downloaded to your phone and viewed in Standard or Virtual Reality. It's an entirely new way to experience music and we really think you're going to like it.
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A MESSAGE FROM BEN
I'm creating a virtual reality music app called The Vanishing Point. What the heck is that? It is, at it's core, a video art piece that allows you to curate what you see and hear. Think Disney's Fantasia, but with today's immersive technology. I've teamed up with WoodPenny games to build this from the ground up: original visuals and original score.
Virtual Reality, as ya'll probably know by now is coming our way fast. What you may not know is how much it's going to affect the arts and our social lives. To be one of the first artists recording for this medium could have a huge impact on my career. Which is why I'm asking for your help.
I want this app to debut for free. I want it to be awesome. Both of these goals are not cheap. So, my team and I created this grassroots IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. If you can support the project financially, sweet! However, my big ask is for your voice.
Being on the leading edge of a technology means that its hard to be heard! If you like the idea of independent creatives like myself having an influence on emerging technologies such as virtual reality, please help spread the word. If you don't like the idea of gigantic companies being the only one's who determine what this tech will be, please help spread the word.
We can do this ya'll!
Ben
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THE EXPERIENCE
- A downloadable app for the iPhone 5 and higher.
- A new EP soundtrack by Ben Sollee.
- An exploratory immersive music video like you've never experienced.
- Viewing available in Standard or Virtual Reality (VR)
- Immersive audio with choreographed animations and effects.
- A dreamy and stunning low poly stylized 3D landscape.
- Custom made VR headset inspired by Google Cardboard.
- Rewarding perks to thank you for your generosity.
SO WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?
Virtual reality is a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or is immersed within this environment.
The music video displays in stereoscopic view on your phone.
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WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK?
We love showing off this app and are overwhelmed with the positive feedback.
A GUIDE TO USING THE APP ONCE IT BECOMES AVAILABLE
STEP 1: Download and Launch The Vanishing Point app through the Apple App Store.
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STEP 2: Place your phone in your custom Ben Sollee VR Headset inspired by Google Cardboard.
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STEP 3: Enjoy Ben Sollee's music and this incredible Virtual Reality experience!
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EXPERIENCE
You're a passenger sitting inside a mysterious contraption speeding through a world driven by music. Your destination is the horizon. And while you don't know what you'll find when you get there, you decide embrace the journey and let the soundtrack guide your experience. Welcome to the Vanishing Point.
The viewer is simply an observer that will be taken on a visual journey in a futuristic race craft. Slip on the VR headset to view a stunning 3D world from every direction in 360 degrees. Throughout the journey, the viewer will experience gorgeous low-poly landscapes through 5-beautifully crafted 3D environments. Sometimes playful, sometimes surreal, generally breathtaking, the world is meant to be enjoyed. On top of the stunning scenery, the viewer will be amazed at the precision of the effects and animations perfectly choreographed to the vibrant music of Ben Sollee. In the end, it's a journey that is best taken by sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the experience.
Your Contribution
Pioneering a VR music experience is rewarding, but costly. This project isn't backed by outside investors or funded by anyone but your generosity. With that generosity, it is our promise to make this app the best experience possible.
What that means, is along with all the cool perks you'll receive by supporting this campaign, that you will be able to download the app with all the whistles and bells outlined in this campaign, for absolutely free.
If we don't reach our goal, don't worry. We will 100% still release the app. You'll still be able to get the cool custom VR headset, but it's likely we'll have to charge for the app or seek out additional revenue such as in-app advertising...but we don't want that. You don't want that. We want to keep this a unique and unblemished experience that's accessible to everyone without with additional cost or noise.
So that said, we need your help in raising $21,000 to help make this project work.
Here's where your hard earned money goes:
- $14,000 App Development Costs
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$3,000 Music Recording Costs
- $2,000 Crowdfunding Campaign Costs
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$1,000 Mixing and Mastering Costs
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$1,000 Marketing Costs
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THE PERKS
For your support we have a ton of great exclusive incentives to offer you. From specific Vanishing Point branded items including t-shirts, posters as well as the limited edition VR viewer. We also have options that allow you to leave your mark on in the virtual environment by having your name on the machine, on a billboard or even in the stars! There are also once in a lifetime experiences you won’t be able to get anywhere else. How about a house concert featuring Ben Sollee. Or a personalized song dedicated and recorded for you by Ben. There are a ton of great options and they are all our way of saying THANK YOU!
However, if we do not reach our goal your contribution will not go to waste. We will remain dedicated to our goal of releasing this innovative immersive virtual reality experience informed by music. Your generous donation will continue to fund our goal of releasing the application.
THE VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET
For those interested in virtual reality without the threat of spending $100s on the onslaught of first wave VR headsets about to hit the market, here's your chance to delve into the VR world now!
Google has delightfully released Google Cardboard, a simple, fun and low cost virtual reality headset that works with mobile devices. The best part is, it's available now and you can get your very own Ben Sollee customized headset inspired by Google Cardboard through this campaign!
Not only is it the best way to view the Vanishing Point, but it's also compatible with all the other great Cardboard apps that are available now for you to download on your phone.
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The other bonus about this headset is you don't need to be plugged-in AND they don't need to be charged. You don't even need to strap them to your face! Merely start our app, insert your phone in the viewer, hold them up to your beautiful face (plug-in your best headphones for the best audio) and immerse yourself in the visual music experience.
VANISHING POINT T-SHIRT
What better way to support the campaign than to sport your very own Vanishing Point t-shirt! It's attractive, it's comfortable, it may even make you more virtual (no promises there).
THE POSTER
This perk sums up the world of the Vanishing Point in one beautiful large scale print that will look great on your wall. There are also a limited number of hand-signed posters available.
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NAME IN THE STARS
Yes, we went there and it's glorious. You...yes you can have your name in the stars. We have 1-of-3 slots throughout the sky waiting for your name (or maybe your special someone's name or initials) dazzling in our virtual reality sky.
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CUSTOM BILLBOARD
We've created custom billboards that will make you or any affiliated part of you famous (at least in-game famous)! Here are some samples of the billboards you'll find throughout the world. These gorgeous works of art are hand crafted by our artists and are ready to showcase your name, company or custom message.
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CUSTOM CONTROL PANEL MESSAGE
Incoming Message from Stan: I enjoy long walks on the beach and cats.
Want something a bit more subtle? Maybe you have something more to say? Or maybe you just want to tell the world a joke! Here's your chance to add a custom message to a virtually real control panel of our machine!
You can write almost anything, however we will not accept any profanity or obscenities in any of the custom messaging perks.
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These are just a few of the many great ways to contribute to the campaign so please consider checking out as many perks as possible.
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Kentucky-born cellist and composer Ben Sollee likes to keep moving. He kicked off 2014 with the release of his score for the documentary film Maidentrip. In March, he performed at Carnegie Hall as part of a tribute to Paul Simon. Throughout April and May, he was out supporting song-writer William Fitzsimmons. This September, he toured for two weeks in Europe and returned to the United States to perform with the Charlotte Ballet. If you’ve seen him perform, you know it’s not to missed. For listeners just discovering Ben’s music, you’ll find that there’s a lot more to it than just songs.
Over the six years following the release of his debut record, Learning to Bend, Sollee and his rugged cello, Kay, told an unconventional story. Seeking a deeper connection to communities on the road, Ben packed his touring life on to his bicycle in 2009. Since then he has ridden over 4,000 miles! He has been invited to perform and speak on sustainability at a number of festivals including South by Southwest Music (2011) and TEDx San Diego (2012). Closer to home, Ben has devoted a tremendous amount of energy to raising awareness about the practice of Mountain Top Removal Strip Mining in Central Appalachia. His 2010 collaborative album Dear Companion (Sub Pop) brought together fellow Kentucky artist Daniel Martin Moore with producer Jim James (My Morning Jacket) to shed light on the issue. In teaming up with international organizations such as Patagonia Clothing and Oxfam America, Ben has come to be known as a thoughtful activist and dedicated informer at shows.
Like his contemporaries Chris Thile and Abigail Washburn, Sollee’s music is difficult to pin down. Following a performance at the Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, the New York Times remarked how Sollee’s “...meticulous, fluent arrangements continually morphed from one thing to another. Appalachian mountain music gave way to the blues, and one song was appended with a fragment from a Bach cello suite, beautifully played.” It’s Ben’s quality of narrative and presence on stage that unifies his musical influences. However, always on the move, Sollee’s musical career has expanded beyond the stage.
Ben’s music can be heard in film and on TV. Shows like ABC’s Parenthood and HBO’s Weeds have placed songs. In 2013, Ben was invited by director Mark Steven Johnson to write a song for the film Killing Season starring John Travolta and Robert De Niro. 2014 is Ben’s second year performing with the North Carolina Dance Theater in Dangerous Liaisons, a play with music written by Ben Sollee.
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THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The Vanishing Point is an experience that is pioneering the relationship between music, digital interactive development and virtual reality. Woodpenny is the development team that's putting together all the digital bits.
Woodpenny is a creative design team with a strong background in game development, music, sound and graphic design. Our studio has an interest in exploring all technologies and especially the relationship between games, interactive media and audio.
As a studio of creatives with big imaginations, partnering with Ben on the Vanishing Point has been one of the most satisfying projects we've developed...ever.
TEAM
- Pat King - Owner | Designer | Producer
- Jess Winter - Programmer | Super Nice Dude
- Al Brennan - 3D Artist | Creative Lead
- Rodger Ruzanka - 3D artist | Sound Designer
- Dan Brennan - 2D Artist
PAT KING | OWNER
An ex-pat of Louisville, KY, Pat King holds a BA in Music Business from Indiana University Southeast. He began his career as a composer, performer and audio engineer for music, voiceover, film, animation and games.
In 2007, Pat began working at Paul Hake Productions as an audio engineer, designer and producer for numerous casual game titles. In 2009, the studio merged with Golden Goose Games to form HitPoint Studios, where Pat continued his various roles between production, sound and game design. In 2014, he founded Woodpenny, a digital & physical game development studio that makes wooden board games that you play with a penny (hence the name) as well as digital games and media content.
At HitPoint, Pat designed and produced the award winning games The Secrets of Arcelia Island and AXE MotoX. He was the lead designer for Disney Fairies Hidden Treasures (Episode 1), Build-a-lot: Elizabethan Era and produced the online social game Seaside Hideaway. Pat was lead sound designer for Adera (Ep1), Disney Fairies Hidden Treasures (Ep 2-5) and Disney's Little Mermaid Undersea Treasures. At Woodpenny, Pat has led the studio to develop a series of brand interactive mobile games, sound design for a number of titles including a mobile game for DreamWorks to promote the hit movie How To Train Your Dragon 2.
In July 2014, Pat co-founded the Pioneer Valley Game Developers, a group of game development enthusiasts in the area with more than 100 members.
In the Spring of 2016, Pat will teach an "Interdisciplinary Game Studio" course at Hampshire College.
Risk: This is flexible funding, what happens if we don't reach our financial goal?
Approach: We are definitely in it to win it. From Ben to the entire development team at Woodpenny, we have put our heart and souls into this VR app over the past 2 months to make sure that we'll launch the app regardless. We're actually 90% of the way there in terms of development. The last 10% is making sure that we can add in any of the cool custom perks and putting that last bit of polish on the app so that when it's released, it's going to look and work great on your phone.
If we don't raise our financial goal, we're still releasing the app. However, we will be exploring other forms of revenue to make up for our recording and development costs.
Challenge: Virtual Reality might not be for everyone, especially those prone to motion-sickness.
We're taking every precaution to limit the motion-sickness triggers in our app to create a smooth VR experience. That said, all experiences vary from person to person. Fortunately, our testing has proven successful for people with little to moderate motion sickness. Unfortunately, those who tend to throw up while walking are likely not going to enjoy any VR experience. Fortunately, for people with a strong aversion to motion, we've made the experience in a non-VR format as well. :)
The other good news, this is a great chance to try out VR at a fraction of the cost of the upcoming VR headsets. Those interested in VR, they can try out our Sollee branded headset inspired by Google Cardboard a fraction of the cost of the other consumer headsets launching this year.
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Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can't contribute financially, you can still help us out!
- Make some noise about the campaign!
- Use the Facebook, Twitter and other social media buttons!
- Tell your friends, family and all people about this campaign!
- Ask for the headset for a birthday or upcoming holiday!
- Be our friend.
Thank you so much for being a part of this - we look forward to updating you soon.
