How would you describe your business and what it does?
Sugar Creative delivers wonder through innovation. It brings imagination to life, with inspirational and incredible outcomes for everything from entertainment to marketing and science. Founded in 2008, Sugar Creative quickly built a reputation for high quality creative across multiple disciplines. In the last ten years, Sugar has won multiple awards and, more recently, has become a market leader in innovation-driven project solutions.
How did you find out about the Clwstwr funding?
We were informed through direct mailing, existing relationships and local events that introduced us to Clwstwr, its aims and objectives.
What inspired you to apply for funding?
Sugar Creative is always exploring ways to push the boundaries of immersive technology and storytelling. The inspiration to apply for the Clwstwr funding came from our recognition of the significant potential of VR as an innovative storytelling medium. We saw an opportunity to enhance the way stories are told and experienced, transitioning them from a linear format to an interactive, multi-dimensional one.
Also, we were drawn to Clwstwr's vision of fostering innovation and placing R&D at the core of creative production in Wales. We saw alignment between their objectives and our own ambitions.
We hoped that the funding would enable us to take on this ambitious project, explore this untapped potential and contribute to making Cardiff a home for innovation in creative production, digital technologies, business models and screen infrastructure. We received £25,000 of funding to do this.
Explain what you were aiming to do in your application
In our application, we aimed to secure funding for the development of Project V, an innovative storytelling toolkit that transitions linear stories into interactive virtual reality experiences. Our primary objectives were:
Enrich Storytelling: We wanted to create an immersive toolkit that allows for enriched interaction and multilingual options, providing a more engaging storytelling experience.
Innovation in Story Adaptation: We sought to develop a system that would make it easier to adapt existing stories and new stories into VR format, taking advantage of the unique possibilities offered by VR.
Improve Accessibility: We planned to incorporate a BSL content creation component into the toolkit, aiming to provide a simple and rapid tool for creating animated avatars from BSL video footage. This would improve accessibility when adapting content to a 3D space and also serve as a fun and educational language learning tool.
Collaborative Creation: We aimed to create a node-based web portal that would allow publishers and authors to work collaboratively with game designers and developers to adapt stories from linear to interactive format.
Describe the process you’ve been through since receiving the funding
Our process was as follows:
- Discuss project with Clwstwr team
- Participate in PDR session
- Refine project outline
- Create key project elements
- Test and refine outcomes
- Deploy outcomes commercially
What would you say the main outcomes of the R&D phase of Project V were?
Creation of the Toolkit: We successfully developed the Project V toolkit, which allows for the adaptation of linear stories into interactive VR experiences. This represents a significant advancement in immersive storytelling technology.
Collaborative Web Portal: We built a node-based web portal that enables fluid collaboration between publishers, authors, game designers, and developers. This portal has streamlined the process of adapting stories into an interactive format, making it more accessible for various stakeholders in the creative process.
Enhanced Language Accessibility: The integration of the Welsh language content has increased language accessibility in VR storytelling. This tool not only enhances the storytelling experience but also serves as a fun and educational language learning resource.
Successful Trial: The toolkit underwent a successful demonstration and trial phase. The first content experience released on the system was an adaptation of Monsters Brawl, a book from the award-winning UK publisher, Bear With Us.
What do you think you’ll do next, having carried out the R&D?
The successful development and trial of the toolkit have shown the potential for further applications and adaptations, opening the door for future enhancements and broader use cases.