Gentleman Scholar launch ‘Truffle Pig’ for Oculus Rift
LA-based production company Gentleman Scholar have recently announced the launch of their latest project Truffle Pig, which began as a small project that grew exponentially when Creative Directors William Campbell and Will Johnson decided to expand the project into a VR environment. The project is the latest in the company’s extensive and visually dynamic body of accomplished work, which includes commissions for Hyundai, Microsoft, Chevy, Toyota, Target and Prudential.
We always love the challenge of attempting something we’ve never done before. For us, creating an Oculus experience seemed like a perfect combination of animation and storytelling through new technologies. We just jumped in.
-William Campbell
Described by the team as “a kaleidoscopic, enchantingly supernatural ride” and their “inaugural leap into Oculus Rift & VR experiences”, Gentleman Scholar intend to fully embrace the growing virtual reality movement with Truffle Pig as the first of many projects in a similar vein.
We have a long way to go to really tap into the true potential of what VR can offer the commercial and storytelling community. It’s all about feeling something, a connection to the world you’re journeying through,”
-Will Johnson
The immersive film tells the story of a man and his pig venturing into the dark forest one morning, searching for truffles. When they stumble across something more enticing, the viewer takes on the POV of the main character. Two viewing experiences are available, one being a straightahead narrative that guides the viewer through the story, the other a ‘free-play’ version that puts control firmly in the viewer’s hands. In collaboration with Associate Creative Director JP Rooney, CG Supervisor Tim Hayward, and Art Director Trevor Conrad, the team at Gentleman Scholar were afforded complete creative control over the experimental project from day one, making use of the Unreal Engine to build an assortment of surreal and fantastical worlds for the viewer to experience.
Sometimes creating projects for ourselves is harder than creating work for a client. We tend to be impossibly hard on ourselves, in a good way. Truffle Pig allowed everyone in the studio to bring something to the table.
-JP Rooney
Gentleman Scholar’s Truffle Pig can be downloaded for both Oculus Rift and PC at gentlemanscholar.com