Pioneer exciting new paths in storytelling with cutting-edge digital technology.
TalentLab XR is a mentoring and development programme that empowers its participants to navigate the possibilities of immersive storytelling and XR (eXtended Reality).
Step outside your comfort zone
Each year, TalentLab looks for emerging artists from the Black and Global Majority (Black, Asian and ethnic minority) who want to see how extended reality can challenge, push and amplify the boundaries of their ideas.
Just bring your imagination!
We give you the tools to succeed. You don’t need any prior experience of XR. We want to see creativity and ingenuity more than technical knowhow.
Stage 1 - Development:
Hands-on training and a VR headset to help you start building your virtual world.
Stage 2 - Mentoring:
Work with an industry mentor to develop your idea over a series of one-to-ones.
Stage 3 - Pitching:
Pitch your project! Be one of the 12 (maximum) who will get a development commission of up to £500, plus further support from B3 Media, leading up to our Industry Showcase in Mid September.
After the programme (Optional):
Present your project to funders at our annual B3 Futures Industry Showcase.
Apply for the programme
First step: set out your immersive project
To apply, you need an idea for a creative project or story that has potential for bringing into XR. During the programme, we’ll work with you to find the best way to get your ideas produced and seen.
We believe diverse voices should be heard beyond the space of educational programmes, so we’ll work with you to make your ideas a reality. And we’ll give you your best chance to win a bursary and further support.
What is TalentLab XR?
TalentLab XR is an intensive production-focused mentoring programme. It supports emerging Black, Asian and multicultural artists to get experience in eXtended Reality and to develop their early-stage ideas.
Leading industry professionals will introduce you to a ton of XR tools and techniques to lift your story ideas into new worlds. We’ll help you transform your creative projects, from writing interactive narratives and building 3D worlds to UX design and holograms. Be prepared to go outside your comfort zone!
Key Dates
Stage 1: XR Development & Immersive Storytelling (29th July – 2nd August 2024)
Stage 2: Project Development & Mentor Support (August 2024)
Stage 3: Project Presentation & Pitching (End September 2024)
Deadline
Applications are now closed.
We MUST receive your electronic submission by the deadline. Please fill out the form below, upload the requested documents, and when you are ready, click 'submit' at the bottom. You will receive a submission confirmation page sent to your specified email address.
Join the waitlist
To receive updates on upcoming programmes, events and opportunities, join our mailing list.
Explore the World of Extended Reality
What is eXtended Reality (XR)?
Ever played Pokémon Go or Beat Saber? Looked at anything on Google Maps’ live view? Used a filter on social media?
Then you’ve used XR— but perhaps you didn’t know it!
XR is an umbrella term for tools and techniques that bend, change and augment reality. It includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
With these tools, we can connect with modern audiences in new, different and exciting ways.
The immersive nature of the technology is a powerful way for artists to bring users closer to experiencing diverse lives, or difficult events, or discrimination. And by doing so, with interactivity, our stories can unlock a sensory world that is bolder and brighter than ever before.
So, what can I do with XR?
Let’s say you’ve got a genius story idea. Before you work it into the next bestseller, or BAFTA-winner, or West End sensation, have you thought about how your story might unfold in a different format?
What if your readers could choose the path of your narrative? What if you could take your audience beyond the flat-screen and into the world to explore it themselves?
XR has evolved the way we communicate in this digital age. And we think XR deserves to be used in more than social media filters!
With XR, audiences are no longer passive listeners or viewers. They become part of your story – a story that pushes beyond the traditional narrative structures and into entirely new immersive spaces.
The first TalentLab XR programme was game-changing for its participants. That’s why we’re running it again in 2024.
Many went on to develop a wide range of mould-breaking narratives and diverse, powerful themes ranging from migration, spiritual healing, afro-futurism, trees and much more.
Many of that first cohort went on to become Associate Artists, having entered the programme with little-to-no knowledge of XR. After just a few months of mentoring and development support, they emerged with fully fleshed-out concepts, pitches, and even trailers for VR experiences, AR applications, and immersive theatrical performances.
Since the programme, several artists have gone on to secure development funding to take their creative practice and projects to the next level; others have incorporated XR into their wider creative practice, with one participant now working as an Unreal Developer; some have presented at industry showcases (London Film Festival immersive strand) or been selected for creative programmes.
Have we answered all your questions?
Check out the Guidelines and FAQs for more information. If you still have questions, email us at projects@b3media.net, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
TalentLab XR is a hybrid development programme supported by Arts Council England.
