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Feb 01

Sundance premiere Luz explores how VR can help us find connection in the real world

We’re so used to seeing virtual reality depicted nefariously in films like The Matrix, Virtuousity (a forgotten ’90s classic) and The Lawnmower Man, it’s genuinely surprising to see something that treats VR in a potentially positive way. In Flora Lau’s Luz, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, there’s no major downside to VR, it’s just another way for humans to connect. And in the case of the film’s two lonely leads, art gallery worker Ren (Sandrine Pinna) and pseudo-gangster Wei (Xiaodong Guo), VR serves as a life raft of human connection, something that could help them find peace in a world where they both feel adrift.

Set in modern-day Chongqing (a city so neon-filled and futuristic it seems more sci-fi than real) and Paris, the characters in Luz live alongside technology familiar to us. Smartphones and OnlyFans-esque livestreams featuring young girls are commonplace. But the virtual reality hardware in the film — including ski mask-like goggles, pointed finger sensors that resemble a witch’s nails — is both a step ahead, and slightly behind, where we are today. Luz, both the name of the film and the VR world people visit, is a fascinating artifact of the immersive reality space from several years ago. That was before we knew finger tracking could be the main input mode in a VR/AR headset like Apple’s Vision Pro.

Ren and Wei experience the VR world of Luz as an escape from their real-world troubles, though that ultimately proves futile. Ren tries to connect with her stepmother Sabine (the legendary Isabelle Huppert), an emotionally distant Paris gallery owner who is avoiding any help for a potentially fatal illness. Wei, meanwhile, is trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter Fa, who he can only see anonymously via that aforementioned livestream.

The lead’s storylines intersect during an in-game hunting expedition for a mysterious neon deer, which appears to be the closest thing to “winning” Luz. Wei and Ren reluctantly bond, and eventually they start to find ways to heal their emotional wounds. It’s an intriguing concept, though we don’t spend enough time with both characters hanging out in VR to truly sell their relationship.

Sandrine Pinna and Isabelle Huppert in Luz

Luz doesn’t attempt to deliver a fully CG VR world like Ready Player One (thank god), instead we see a hyper-stylized version of the real world with an abundance of neon lights, floating particles and characters dressed as if they’re about to head to Comic-Con. Obviously, it’s an easier way to convey VR, but the film is also portraying a version of the technology that’s practically identical to the real world. If VR were truly so immersive, why even bother with real life connections? (Stylistically, it reminds me of Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii’s forgotten Polish sci-fi film, Avalon, which also explored how people can redefine themselves in a VR simulation.)

While Lau goes to great lengths to craft gorgeous VR imagery, what the film really needs is more time for its two leads to sit down and talk to each other, instead of having us infer emotion as they stare off into the distance. At just an hour and forty two minutes, there’s plenty of room for more character exploration. But at least we get some intriguing conversations between Ren and Sabine, with Huppert being her typically charming self. (Perhaps the most unbelievable aspect of the film is that Sabine, a hip presence in the visual arts scene, hadn’t tried VR until Ren convinced her. We’ve been seeing artists adopt VR for installations since 2016, so it’s far from a new concept.)

Luz is close to being a great film, with its strong performances and confidently composed cinematography. But through either restraint or weak screenwriting, we don’t always have a sense of how the leads relate to the world, or even what they think of each other. The overall approach feels too cold and distant for a film that’s ultimately about rediscovering human connection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sundance-premiere-luz-explores-how-vr-can-help-us-find-connection-in-the-real-world-140005020.html?src=rss

Feb 01

Google will let platforms and devices employees leave voluntarily prior to layoffs

Posted in: Today's Chili

Google has given US employees in the Platforms and Devices team the option to exit voluntarily before it starts cutting jobs. The news was first reported by 9to5Google. Google’s Platforms and Devices team has 25,000 employees and was formed when the company merged its Android and hardware teams last year. It’s in charge of a bunch of Google products, including Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Pixel, Nest and Fitbit. However, only employees based in the US who are directly reporting to the division’s VP, Rick Osterloh, can leave voluntarily with a severance package.

Osterloh reportedly told the team in a memo that the “voluntary exit plan” is for those struggling to meet the demands of their role or those unhappy with the company’s hybrid work setup. People have until February 20 to sign up for the exit program, and since the memo says they’ll find out if they’ve been accepted on March 25, some people may not be able to leave the company with the severance package it’s offering. Google is scheduled to release its earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2024 in a few days, and it’ll be interesting to see if it reveals a decline in revenue or any other weakness that could’ve led to the buyout and impending layoffs.

“The Platforms & Devices team is offering a voluntary exit program that provides US-based Googlers working on this team the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package,” Google said in a statement. “This comes after we brought two large organizations together last year. There’s tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency.”

According to CNBC, employees were pleased with Google’s decision to offer voluntary exits with severance instead of going straight to job cuts. They were apparently aware of Google’s future cost-cutting efforts and asked for voluntary buyouts as an option.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-will-let-platforms-and-devices-employees-leave-voluntarily-prior-to-layoffs-130017394.html?src=rss

Feb 01

GoPro pushes update to its entry-level Hero camera, adding 4:3 video for social clips

Posted in: Today's Chili

GoPro is rolling out a software update for its entry-level Hero camera that allows users to shoot 4:3 video in 4K. This is great for the kinds of clips that populate social media sites like TikTok, as the footage is taller. The update is available for free via the company’s GoPro Quik app on iOS and Android.

Obviously, the new aspect ratio is intended for social media content, but shooting in 4:3 has several use case scenarios. For instance, it can be the perfect choice for capturing video from a first-person perspective. If social media isn’t your bag, GoPro says that these 4:3 videos can easily be cropped to 16:9 “for a traditional widescreen look.”

There’s another tool available with this update that adds a bit of pizzazz when converting from 4:3 to 16:9. The app’s SuperView Digital Lens option adds a widening effect during the conversion process, which makes captured footage “look faster, more immersive and more exciting.” This app-based lens has been available for a while, but only worked with GoPro’s pricier offerings.