Inspired by the Brothers Grimm folktale, “A Tale of the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was,” the story follows Nyssa, a fearless yet naïve young witch who leaves her whimsical village in order to find her best friend, a toy broom named…Broom. On the way, she meets a familiar spirit, Blue and together they travel into the depths of the dark migration where not all ghosts are friendly and the creature of darkness, Teemencaag lurks in the shadows.

Can Nyssa learn the meaning of fear and intuition in time to save her village before Teemencaag breaches the magical walls and destroys everything she loves?

FIVARS had a chance to speak with director Julie Cavaliere about this epic VR animated work:

What lead to the creation of this piece?

After thumbing through an old book of folktales, Julie Cavaliere came across a story about a boy who is sent out into the world to learn fear. She felt inspired to rewrite the story through a female lens and that’s how the idea of Nyssa was born. To immerse the audience in this new perspective, she decided to apply her experience in filmmaking to the medium of VR and sought out the collaboration of Michaela Ternasky-Holland who agreed to lend her expertise to the project. The concept was further developed into an anthology series with the goal of “reimagining” stories from all over the world.

What was the production process for you and your team? What did you learn?

We went through concept art into storyboarding and then our team worked within Quill to create a Vertical Slice, Rough Assembly, and Alpha build. During this time, we were also casting and recording VO.

How did you become an immersive media content creator and why?

My interest in world-building and guest experience sparked from my previous employment with Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, LEGOLAND, and SeaWorld.

What is the VR/AR industry like in your region?

In the U.S. VR/AR region has pockets of success.

What do you have planned for the future?

Reimagined is a series, so we have future Volumes planned.

What would you like to share with fellow content creators and/or the industry?

VR, AR, MR industries can lead a movement in access. With the rise of technology that utilizes specific hardware and access to certain levels of high-speed internet, my hope is that these industries will also move forward with the democratization of access to these portals in and out of the digital reality, like WIFI, headsets, and apps.

Learn more about Reimagined Volume I: Nyssa at the FIVARS in FALL 2022 Festival