Watch the Trailer for Felix & Paul Studios’ New Eminem VR Doc ‘Marshall From Detroit’ (EXCLUSIVE)
This week, Felix & Paul Studios are set to return to Sundance with the world premiere of their new immersive Eminem documentary “Marshall From Detroit.” The 21 minute long 360-degree film, which has been directed by Caleb Slain, explores Detroit through the eyes of the rapper, who takes viewers on a nighttime car ride through his home town.
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“Our idea was to extend the blanket of intimacy offered by VR beyond the once-in-a-lifetime ride with Marshall and introduce you to a more mystic version of Detroit you could never see for yourself,” said Slain. “We wanted to take the ‘reality’ out of VR and cook it down into something more unreal, but also truthful.”
“Our studio has a history of using technology to tell stories in new, more immersive ways, to create experiences that are at the convergence of the intimate and the extraordinary,” added Felix & Paul Studios co-founder Paul Raphael. “‘Marshall From Detroit’ is a sparkling expression of that, inviting you on a surreal ride through Detroit with Eminem himself.”
Felix & Paul Studios have long been on the forefront of immersive video, and often pushed the boundaries of VR storytelling by adapting different forms of cinematic storytelling to the medium that go beyond traditional 360-degree video capture. In the past, this included time-lapse recordings, stop motion video and more. Now, the studio can add 360-degree shots from a moving vehicle to that list.
“A lot of VR is not particularly stimulating to me because it doesn’t challenge the orthodoxy of space and how reality is supposed to play out,” said Slain. “I think the most exciting VR ahead will be at the intersection of spatial surrealism and dramatic realism.”
“Marshall From Detroit” is premiering at Sundance as part of the New Frontier Program this Saturday. It will be available on Facebook’s Oculus Go and Rift VR headsets next month.
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