Ben Carlin on alternate realities, immersive theatre and Frankenstein

Sheffield Digital Podcast

Episode 42 of the Sheffield Digital Podcast is out and this time we’re joined by Ben Carlin, founder of Megaverse and Immerse Sheffield, a meetup for people who work in immersive technologies.

We absolutely loved this conversation with Ben. He shared his early experience in Cornwall and taking part in the BBC’s Robot Wars, before moving into the world of theatre and virtual reality (VR).

Ben has recently worked on a VR version of Frankenstein with the National Youth Theatre. He describes the process of putting on a VR performance (300 headsets!) and how he and his co-founder John travelled to the Arctic to film some of the footage.

More than anything, Ben’s work just shows what can be done when you combine the creative arts and technology. Go and get your headphones, find a comfortable chair and listen in – it’s a good one.

Thanks to Rebel Base Media

This episode was recorded at Rebel Base Media in their new podcasting studio based at Sheffield Technology Parks . The studio is fantastic and has all the gear you need to produce a properly professional podcast. They also offer podcasting advice and you can even rent a mobile studio for recording in the field.

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Notes and links

Every episode comes with a list of links to all of the various people, companies and topics that we reference.

• Ben Carlin | LinkedIn
• MEGAVERSE
• Immerse Sheffield - The meetup for Immersive Technologies in Sheffield
• St. Agro | Robot Wars Wiki
• Oculus Rift: VR Headset for VR Ready PCs | Oculus
• Theatre Deli
• Sheffield Doc/Fest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival
• The Bare Project – A theatre company based in Sheffield with a focus on magic realism and immersive theatre.
• Oculus Quest: All-in-one VR Headset | Oculus
• 2.0 - XR Theatre Lab — MEGAVERSE
• Megaverse XR Theatre Lab and its 3D holographic scanning rig – Sheffield Digital
• Frankenstein | Southwark Playhouse | Theatre and Bar
• World premiere of an original theatre performance – FLOOD
• Director Joel Scott of the National Youth Theatre tackles a watery apocalypse in FLOOD
• Meet our members | Sheffield Digital
• Become a member of Sheffield Digital

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Thank you for the music

Thanks again to Alex Mclean – aka Yaxu – for the show’s intro music, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.