Boostad vinnare under Propellor | Springboard

On Sunday 19 March, Skåne-based documentary filmmaker and experience designer Josepha Wessels wins the audience award together with team “Ego Cinema” at the Propellor Workshop at CPH:Dox.

For two days, the creative co-working space the Rainmaking Loft was the location of an ideation workshop for business ideas for production distribution and experience of films (documentary and fiction) hosted by Copenhagen International Documentary Festival.

VR Experience Designer and Documentary Filmmaker Josepha Wessels attended this workshop with the support of BoostHbg.  Around 45 participants gathered at the loft of the Rainmaking Loft to mingle, network and create new inspiring ideas that break through the traditional distribution markets, combing tech and film in creative development.  The workshop was facilitated by US-based technology advocate and catalyst for change and innovation, Daniel Johnsen who guided the teams into thinking about an effective way to problematise and monetise the ideas.

In total six teams emerged from the first morning of the workshop. The aim was to develop a joint idea, with the help of a business plan template and then to go out there and test whether the idea in fact provides a solution for a problem identified. The teams were guided to collaboratively develop a business idea for production, distribution or experience of films.

Josepha Wessels formed a team called “Ego Cinema” with five other VR enthusiasts and creatives from Finland, Denmark and the UK. The team consisted of experienced VR experience designers, filmproducers and IT developers. The team went out to do a small market research to test out the idea of a purposely and custom-made VR cinema.  They found that indeed, people find VR a rather isolating experience and would be happy to enjoy VR in a more collective way, together with a group like the same way as if you go to a theatre. So the team set to develop and pitch the idea to the audience of mentors and peer filmmakers and tech professional.

Ego Cinema is an experience hub for collective VR experiences. It combines custom made VR content with performative elements. These exclusive social experiences are presented in permanent flagship location and temporary pop-up venues and include rooms for anticipation, experience and reflection.

Team: Joao Penaguiao (Denmark), Marianne Makela (Finland), Mads Damsbo (Denmark), Josepha Wessels (Sweden), Hans Christian Sørensen (Denmark), Alexander Graham (UK)

At the end of the last day of the workshop the winners were announced and the Ego Cinema Team won the audience Award, which consisted of a free industry accreditation of CPH:Dox and the book “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries.