The Imaginary Friend (2023)
Imagine being Imaginary
The Imaginary Friend is a VR experience by Steye Hallema, produced by Studio Biarritz. It had its world premiere at Venice Immersive in 2023, was nominated for a Gouden Kalf for Digitale Cultuurproductie, and won the XR Story Award at Beyond the Frame Film Festival. It has since screened at festivals including SXSW, Annecy, BFI London Film Festival Expanded and Cinekid.
The Imaginary Friend invites you to take part in the vivid imagination of Daniel, a grieving eight-year-old struggling with the line between reality and fantasy.
Become Daniel's imaginary friend and let him share his world with you. Discover his joys and anxieties, even help him fight his demons head-on. However, as you spend time together, Daniel's surroundings don't quite understand. Why is he talking to himself? Is he crazy? When his father intends to fix him, Daniel needs to figure out his feelings before disconnecting from reality completely…
With its unique point of view in storytelling and the latest technical developments in VR, The Imaginary Friend presents an intimate experience unmatched in the VR landscape. Daniel sees, talks and interacts with you, allowing you to form a deeply personal bond with the boy. Through interactive gameplay, you don't only push the story forward but also actively participate in Daniel's life.
The description above is from the project's own site.
My Involvement
I worked on The Imaginary Friend from 2021 till 2024. I started in 2021 as an intern, creating the first interactive storyboard of the script. From there, I grew into the creative developer of the project, conceptualizing and developing the interactions. Together with Frank Bosma, I programmed the experience and implemented the work of the rest of the team, like animations, 3d models, and sound design.