Cinema, music and virtual reality content come together at the Samsung MADFUN festival

The celebration of this festival in Madrid coincides with a decisive moment for virtual reality, a technology that is reaching new areas such as cinema or music, captivating millions of people around the world.

Today and tomorrow, October 21 and 22, the Caja Mágica (Madrid) hosts the Samsung MADFUN festival, a macro digital leisure event where attendees will be able to enjoy virtual reality experiences never seen before, thanks to Samsung Gear VR technology. Samsung will have a special space dedicated to virtual reality, Gear VR Experience, so that attendees can live exciting immersive experiences with their idols. The event is organized by MKTG and Animal Maker, with the collaboration of Samsung as an official sponsor.

This festival will bring together the great YouTubers of the moment with their audience for the first time in Spain. With an expected capacity of more than 20,000 young people, Samsung MADFUN will feature the participation of YouTube stars including El Rubius, Mangel, Patry Jordan, Yellow Mellow, Dulceida, Celopán and Loulogio. The festival will be divided into three sessions – music, entertainment and lifestyle – dedicated to three of the most popular themes on the internet, and will have a wide range of activities for all ages.

"Millennials are a tremendously audiovisual generation and are used to sharing their experiences on social networks and platforms such as YouTube. With the space dedicated to virtual reality Gear VR Experience, Samsung wants to bring the most advanced technology to these young people and offer them the opportunity to live exciting and unforgettable experiences alongside their great YouTuber idols," commented Celestino García, vice president of Samsung Spain.

YouTuber Mark Miller considers "that virtual reality is one of the trends that is going to hit the hardest in the coming years. I have been part of the initiatives that Samsung has launched in this field from the beginning and the truth is that I am very happy with the experiences and that they have taken YouTube artists into account."

VR Experience zone

Throughout the festival, visitors will be able to enjoy a unique virtual reality space, the Samsung VR Experience Zone. In this tent, users will have at their disposal a wide variety of virtual reality experiences in which they can experience total immersion in environments related to cinema, television, animation or sports. For example, virtual reality content starring some of the most popular YouTubers in Spain will be projected, with the aim that their fans can interact with them and feel closer than ever.

In Gear VR Experience you can also enjoy the short film Ceremony by Nacho Vigalondo, conceived and shot entirely in virtual reality; of exclusive content prepared by the journalist Jalís de la Serna and the musician Pablo Alborán; and a shocking experience in which the visitor will feel like they are on a real roller coaster. Finally, the Sitges Fantasy and Horror Film Festival will transfer the Samsung Sitges Cocoon experience to Samsung MADFUN, offering some of the most interesting international short films in this genre, such as Catatonic, Sisters, The Rose & I o Mr Robot. Attendees will also be able to see in this space a VR piece promoting the film that will premiere on October 28. Ouija: The Origin of Evil within this space.

While the YouTubers are enjoying the virtual reality experience, live connections will be made to involve the entire audience in the unique immersive sensations. A contest will also be held in which those who visit the VR Experience Zone can participate. The prize will be an exclusive meeting on Saturday, October 22 with their YouTube idols, along with a gift from Samsung.

Entertainment

The celebration of Samsung MADFUN coincides with a decisive moment for virtual reality, a technology that is reaching new areas such as cinema or music, captivating millions of people around the world. On YouTube, a platform to which young people dedicate a large part of their leisure time, “social virtual reality” is being born, with examples such as those of the YouTubers Yellow Mellow, MarkMiller and Álvaro (known as ElVisa), who have recorded two virtual reality experiences where they interact with the user in a fun way, allowing the viewer to see themselves immersed in the action. Through virtual reality, YouTubers' followers get to live a unique experience, having them closer than ever and becoming protagonists of the story alongside their idols.

In the field of journalism, virtual reality also offers enormous potential due to its ability to tell stories from new points of view. Jalís de la Serna has presented MADFUN at Samsung Police Patrol.

For his part, Nacho Vigalondo has been the first established Spanish film director who has conceived and shot a virtual reality piece in our country, Ceremony. During the presentation of Samsung MADFUN, Vigalondo was accompanied by Mike Hostench from the Sitges Festival, a pioneer in dedicating a section to virtual reality with the Samsung Sitges Cocoon space, in which viewers were able to enjoy impressive immersive pieces of fantastic cinema, horror and science fiction.

Vigalondo recognizes that "directing virtual reality is going through unexplored territory. New problems, new possibilities, and the excitement of deciphering a new language."

Representing the world of music, Pablo Alborán, the best-selling singer and composer in our country (8 Platinum albums with his album land, 10 Platinum albums with his previous album Both, and 8 Platinum albums with his first two albums) also participates in Samsung MADFUN as an artist with a defined social and technological profile, interested in innovation and technological processes, for whom virtual reality allows him to be in contact with his fans throughout the entire process of creating and composing his new album.

Alborán commented that "my experience with the VR world has been fascinating. It is impressive how your experiences can change and bring you closer to your idols and fans. VR is a revolution in the world of entertainment."