Magnopus
 | |
| Company type | Experience company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual production |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning |
| Headquarters | LA, USA |
Number of employees | 170+ |
| Website | https://magnopus.com/ |
Magnopus[edit]
About[edit]
Magnopus designs and develops spatial experiences and technologies that unite physical and digital spaces[1].
Magnopus is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional studio in St.Albans, England. The team of artists, designers and engineers have expertise in virtual production and LED stages [2][3], MetaHumans, Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN), and creating spatial experiences using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
The company has developed several award-winning VR experiences, including Mission: ISS[4], Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab[5], and Disney Pixar’s Coco VR[6].
Magnopus has also developed a commercial cloud platform built on open source that allows people to build and operate cross-platform, multiplayer experiences across physical and digital spaces [7]. Magnopus leveraged this technology to create a city-scale, cross-reality connected digital twin for the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.[8]
History[edit]
Magnopus was founded in 2013 by Oscar-winning visual effects artists Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, and Rodrigo Teixeira [9]. They saw potential in AR and real-time VR, powered by game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity, to create fully immersive experiences at the intersection of film, games, and music. They hired talent from the AAA games industry, the Hollywood visual effects industry, and academia to push the quality of the experiences they were creating, both from a visual and interactivity standpoint[10]. This led to work with filmmakers such as Jon Favreau[11] and companies like Pixar[12], Disney[13], and NASA[14].
In July 2021, Magnopus acquired REWIND, a British virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) specialist.[15]
Notable VR/AR Experiences and Virtual Production Projects[edit]
| Year | Title | Type of project | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fallout TV Series | Virtual production | Virtual art department (VAD), systems design & LED volume operations with Kilter Films on the Amazon MGM Studios production, Fallout.[16][17] |
| 2024 | Cryptic Cabinet | Mixed reality | An open-source mixed reality showcase for Meta built in Unity that shows developers how they can turn any room into a unique gameplay experience.[18] |
| 2023 | CAPTURE THE MUSIC: NITEWAVE | User-generated content for Fortnite | A 'music-first' arena battle experience. The first Fortnite Creative Island with licensed music.[19] |
| 2022 | Westworld Season 4 | Virtual production | A virtual environment for use in an LED volume while shooting parts of Westworld Season 4 Episodes 7 & 8.[20] |
| 2022 | Sebastian Yatra virtual concert | Virtual concert | Sebastian Yatra performing alongside an AR hologram of himself in an immersive virtual environment.[21] |
| 2022 | Remembering AR | Augmented reality | An AR companion experience for the short film Remembering starring and produced by Brie Larson and directed and written by filmmaker Elijah Allan-Blitz. The AR app connected directly to the content on the Disney+ platform.[22] |
| 2021 | Madison Beer Immersive Reality Concert | Virtual concert | A virtual performance of Madison Beer that premiered on TikTok LIVE. The experience was set in a digital twin of The Sony Hall. The concert was created in Unreal Engine so the project could be easily transformed for different channels, removing the need for the production teams to recreate the experience for video and mobile applications.[23] |
| 2021 | Holocaust Museum LA: Augmented Reality Education App | Augmented reality | An augmented reality app for the Holocaust Museum LA to offer students a new way to learn about the Holocaust and an opportunity to access and interact with key pieces of the Museum’s collection and galleries.[24] |
| 2020 | Expo Dubai Xplorer | Cross-reality | In October 2020, the World Expo opened in Dubai. Expo Dubai Xplorer was a living digital replica of the 4km² site, connected via data streams, video, and audio. It was populated with digital activations for both physical visitors on-site and virtual visitors remotely, who could play and learn together in the same digital experience layer in real-time.[25] |
| 2019 | The Lion King Virtual Production System | Virtual Production | The Lion King Virtual Production System[26] is a multiplayer real-time collaborative platform that uses VR to put The Lion King filmmakers inside their computer-generated film with live-action capabilities.[27] |
| 2019 | Elixir | Virtual reality | A hand-tracking experience for Meta Quest.[28] |
| 2018 | Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab | Virtual reality | A single-player adventure that enables interaction with the environment and characters from the movie Blade Runner 2049. The storyline is focused on the investigation of a retired Blade Runner's memories.[29] |
| 2017 | Mission: ISS | Virtual reality | Mission: ISS is a VR experience that lets users explore the International Space Station in detail and understand what it’s like to be an astronaut.[30] |
| 2017 | Coco VR | Virtual reality | A Companion VR experience for the movie Coco. Choosing either a single or multiplayer experience, users explore the world of Coco, filled with characters and settings from the film.[31] |
Awards and Nominations[edit]
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Gold | Telly Awards | Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed - Virtual Art Direction | Fallout | [32] |
| 2024 | Gold | Telly Awards | Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed - Digital Environments | Fallout | [33] |
| 2023 | Won | Monolith Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Technology | Remembering | [34] |
| 2022 | Won | TIME Magazine Best Invention | Metaverse | Connected Spaces Platform | [35] |
| 2022 | Won | Webby Awards | Video Technical Achievement | Madison Beer Immersive Reality Concert | [36] |
| 2022 | Gold | Lovie Awards | Web3, NFTs & Metaverse: Conference, Festival or Party | Expo Dubai Xplorer | [37] |
| 2022 | Won | Advanced Imaging Society Lumiere Awards | Best Use of AR | Expo Dubai Xplorer | [38] |
| 2022 | Won | CogX Awards | Best Innovation | Expo Dubai Xplorer | [39] |
| 2022 | Gold | Telly Awards | Immersive & Mixed Reality / Metaverse | Expo Dubai Xplorer | [40] |
| 2022 | Won | XR Awards | Best Gaming | Expo Dubai Xplorer | [41] |
| 2020 | Won | VES Awards | Outstanding Virtual Cinematography | The Lion King | [42] |
| 2019 | Won | AIS Lumiere Awards | Virtual Production System | The Lion King | [43] |
| 2018 | Nominee | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Original Interactive Program | Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab | [44] |
| 2018 | Nominee | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Original Interactive Program | Coco VR | [45] |
| 2017 | Nominee | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Original Interactive Program | Mission: ISS | [46] |
- ^ Hatton, Josh (2023-07-19). "Magnopus: Part 1 – Pioneering Immersive Experiences at the Forefront of the Metaverse with Solomon Rogers". Digital Twin Insider.
- ^ Hicks, Jennifer. "Magnopus Shows How New Technology Streamlines The Filmmaking Process". Forbes.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn. "Too Much Volume? The Tech Behind 'Mandalorian' and 'House of the Dragon' Faces Growing Pains". hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ HISTORY, TIME & (2021-06-01). "Mission: ISS". TIME AND HISTORY | VR Experiences.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (2017-10-21). "Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab takes sci-fi fans into a VR experience". VentureBeat.
- ^ Robertson, Adi (2017-11-15). "Pixar's Coco VR experience turns you into a dancing skeleton". The Verge.
- ^ Seymour, Mike (2023-10-04). "True Cross Platform, Immersive, Open Source Connected Spaces - fxguide". fxguide.
- ^ "How Magnopus united the physical and digital worlds for Expo 2020 Dubai". Unity Blog.
- ^ Abramian, Alexandria (2014-01-23). "New VFX Firm Magnopus Sets Up in Downtown L.A." The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Interview with Ben Grossmann, CEO of Magnopus | Foundry". www.foundry.com.
- ^ "Iterating shots - virtually - for 'The Lion King'". befores & afters. 2020-01-10.
- ^ "Pixar Magic: How Magnopus Brought The Wonder Of Coco To Life In VR". UploadVR. 2018-09-19.
- ^ "This Is The Immersive Technology Company That Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal All Call First - Conversation with Sol Rogers - Global Director of Innovation at Magnopus by Welcome to the Metaverse". Spotify for Podcasters.
- ^ "You Can Now Visit the International Space Station in Virtual Reality". Fortune.
- ^ Farber2021-07-02T06:22:00, Alex. "VR: Magnopus acquires Rewind". Broadcast.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Seymour, Mike (2024-04-17). "Inside the (LED) bunker of Fallout - fxguide". fxguide.
- ^ "Magnopus brings Amazon's Fallout series to life with virtual production powered by Unreal Engine". Unreal blog.
- ^ Hayden, Scott (2024-02-23). "Meta's New Demo Shows Players & Devs What Compelling MR Can Look Like". Road to VR.
- ^ Dredge, Stuart (2024-01-09). "Sony Music shows off its latest Fortnite and Roblox experiences". Music Ally.
- ^ "The Many Visual Worlds of 'Westworld'". Animation World Network.
- ^ "Evercoast Volumetric Capture Tech Powers Holographic Sebastian Yatra Performance For Magnopus & Verizon". livedesignonline.com. August 2022.
- ^ Forristal, Lauren (2022-09-08). "Disney+ releases its first AR-enabled short film, 'Remembering,' starring Brie Larson". TechCrunch.
- ^ "Sony Music's 'digital Madison Beer' sets the virtual concert world on fire". Unreal Spotlight.
- ^ Ben-Moche, Erin (2021-02-10). "Holocaust Museum LA, Television City, Magnopus Team Up to Develop Virtual Immersive Experience". Jewish Journal.
- ^ "Globally Connected Immersive Experiences: A Case Study of Magnopus's Expo Dubai Xplorer". nvidia. August 2022.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (2019-07-19). "'The Lion King' "Virtual Production" Could Be a Game-Changer for Filmmaking". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ Rogers, Sol. "Virtual Production And The Future Of Filmmaking—An Interview with Ben Grossmann, Magnopus". Forbes.
- ^ "Elixir Is Facebook's Free Oculus Quest Hand-Tracking Demo Game, Out Now". UploadVR. 2020-05-22.
- ^ Craig, Emory (2017-10-25). "The New Blade Runner VR Experience - the Power of Storytelling". Digital Bodies Consulting.
- ^ published, Sarah Lewin (2017-03-11). "'Mission:ISS' Lets You Explore Space Station & Spacewalk in Virtual Reality". Space.com.
- ^ Technologies, Unity. "Made With Unity | Unity". unity.com.
- ^ "GOLD WINNER: VIRTUAL ART DIRECTION — IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE, & MIXED". Telly Awards.
- ^ "GOLD WINNER: DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS — IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE, & MIXED". Telly Awards.
- ^ "Monolith Awards 2023". Infinity Festival 2023.
- ^ "Magnopus Connected Spaces: The 200 Best Inventions of 2022". Time. 2022-11-10.
- ^ "Webby Awards". Webbyawards.com.
- ^ "The Lovie Awards". watch.lovieawards.com.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2022-03-04). "'Dune,' 'West Side Story' Top Advanced Imaging Society's Lumiere Awards". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "CogX Awards Winners". CogX. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ "Expo 2020 Dubai scoops unprecedented 29 Global Telly Awards". bna.
- ^ XR Today (2022-07-29). XR Awards 2022 Full Ceremony. Retrieved 2024-05-29 – via YouTube.
- ^ Pond, Steve (2020-01-30). "'The Lion King' Is King at the Visual Effects Society Awards". TheWrap.
- ^ Caranicas, Peter (2019-09-24). "'Gemini Man,' 'The Lion King' Are Among Films Produced Using Advanced Imaging Society Tech Winners". Variety.
- ^ "Magnopus". Television Academy.
- ^ "Magnopus". Television Academy.
- ^ "Mission: ISS". Television Academy.