The Starry Sand Beach
Documentary
Information
The Starry Sand Beach is a scientific fairy tale about the starry grains of sand found on multiple beaches across the East China Sea... This starry sand is called Baculogypsina sphaerulata, a particular species of Foraminifera, and is the protagonist of a local legend about the North Star, the Southern Cross and a mythical sea serpent...
The experience is divided into three parts: the legend, the underwater forest and the exploration of the Earth’s ancient geological memory, back to the birth of the foraminifera 400 million years ago. All throughout the experience and along with the foraminifera, you witness signs of the many threats to the marine and coral microorganisms, embodied by a sea serpent symbolizing the acidification of the oceans.
You are then invited to travel vertically from the sea to the sky, starting in a small room before moving deep into the sea and finally returning to the stars, as innumerable as all the grains of sand on Earth. In this ever-changing game of scales, you will find yourself similarly small amidst the stars and the foraminifera. The starry sand is the poetic vehicle which will take users from the bottom of the ocean to the depths of space.
International title
The Starry Sand Beach
Synopsis
THE STARRY SAND BEACH is a real-time 3D interactive VR experience. It starts with a non-interactive shadow theater section, followed by an interactive journey through the sky and the ocean. Controllers are required to allow users to interact with the objects and move through the 3D space.
Minimum Duration (mn)
15
Thematics
Animals / NatureDocumentaryEnvironmentalMyths / TraditionsNatural sciences
Technology(ies) used
3DoF6DoFInteractivity
Production company(ies)
Lucid Realities
Country(ies)
France
Distribution Strategy
Device(s) compatibility
HTC ViveHTC Vive CosmosHTC Vive ProOculus RiftOculus Rift SValve Index
Number of user(s)
Single-user experience
Play area
Seated (360° chair)
Distribution strategy
Digital art centersFestival, Art fairsOceanographic & Natural Science Museums
Main Achievements (Prize, Selection, where the project has been already distributed)
Venice International Film Festival 2021 (Venise, Italie) - Official Selection
Cannes XR (2022) - Official Selection
FIPADOC 2022 (Biarritz, France) - Official Selection
Sheffield Doc Fest - Alternate Realities Talented Market Pitched (2021) - Pitching Session
Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF, 2021) - Official Selection
Tokyo International Short Film Festival (2022) - Best VR
Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival (2022) - Selection
Team
First and last name(s) of the Lead artist(s)
Nina Barbier & Hsin-Chien Huang
First and last name(s) of producer(s)
Chloé Jarry
Main cast
Directed by NINA BARBIER & HSIN-CHIEN HUANG
Original music ARMAND AMAR
Interactive audio direction FRANCK WEBER
Narrated by ANNA FLORI-LAMOUR, SHARON MANN & AI YI-LIANG
Graphic creation & development OREADY INNOVATION LAB
Executive producer : CHLOÉ JARRY (Lucid Realities)
Coproducers: Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (National Museum of Natural History)
With the support of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) , Centre national du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée -CNC- , PROCIREP – Société des Producteurs & ANGOA