Ollie Rankin – from Middle Earth to the Lost Horizon

Students from the University of Gloucestershire School of Media were treated to a zoom talk last week by virtual reality and visual effects pioneer Ollie Rankin (connecting in from Los Angeles). 

Ollie spent two decades working at the forefront of the global film industry, from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ to ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’. Amongst his many works he wrote and directed the interactive VR experience ‘Downloaded’, which premiered at the Venice Biennale in 2019. He combines his history of creative achievement with a background in computer programming and AI, to develop new narrative conventions for immersive, interactive media. 

Ollie has been working with University of Gloucestershire students studying Digital Media, Sound and Music, and Computer Games Design​ on Lost Horizon, a new music festival taking place in virtual reality. Lost Horizon is the world’s biggest digital venue for music and art, from the team behind Glastonbury’s Shangri-La and Sansar. 

Stefhan Caddick Academic Course Leader, said:​
“The session was hosted by our Digital Media​ and Music Business students as part of their Your Future Plan week. The invite was extended to the University’s Games Design and Creative Computing students, plus prospective Media students. We were also joined by a group of students from Humber College, Canada. We are committed to providing a rich experience for our learners, and Ollie Rankin’s talk was excellent.”

You can find out more about the degrees offered by the University of Gloucestershire School of Media​ on the website.​