Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘The Walk’ First Project for Create Advertising Group’s New Virtual Reality Division
Company teams with Sony for immersive experience tied to Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming 3D drama
Thom Geier | July 7, 2015 @ 4:44 PM
Last Updated: July 7, 2015 @ 5:41 PM
Creative Advertising Group announced Tuesday that it was launching a new division for branded virtual-reality experiences.
The first project for CreateVR is a tie-in to Sony’s upcoming film “The Walk,” which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who famously walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
CreateVR’s “Can You Walk the Walk?” allows users to simulate Petit’s historic stunt using Sony’s “Project Morpheus” system, a virtual-reality extension of PlayStation4 that the company hopes to roll out for consumers in 2016.
“Can You Walk the Walk?” was previewed last month at the Summer of Sony event in Cancun, Mexico, and CineEurope in Barcelona.
Robert Zemeckis‘ 3D film is set to open the New York Film Festival on Sept. 25 before a nationwide release on October 2.
“We believe virtual reality has the potential to become the next great marketing frontier,” David Stern, founder of Create Advertising Group, said. “Our job is to relate a brand to the VR world in an experience that feels organic and true to the source material. We are creating virtual environments that double as innovative brand extensions.”
Jonathan Gitlin, Create partner and president of television and gaming, added, “We could not be more challenged or amazed by the vivid and true-to-life worlds that we are able to create or re-create in virtual reality.”
Jake Black, head of motion graphics and virtual reality for CreateVR, added: “As virtual reality platforms like Project Morpheus begin to roll out in the coming year or two at a price point attractive to consumers, the applications for this extraordinary new technology, especially among our entertainment, branding and gaming clients, will continue to grow.”
11 Controversial Outdoor Movie and TV Ads: From 'The Virginity Hit' to 'Ted 2' (Photos)
"The Road to Guantanamo" (2006) MPAA rules prohibit depictions of torture in movie posters, so the ads for "The Road to Guantanamo," set on a U.S. military base in Cuba, had to be reworked to remove the image of a detainee's head in a burlap sack
Roadside Attractions
"Ted 2" (2015) Like the 2012 original, "Ted 2" heavily utilized raunch in its advertising, including posters showing Seth MacFarlane's teddy bear facing away from the camera and the words "Ted is coming, again"
Universal Pictures
"Magic Mike XXL" (2015) The sequel to Channing Tatum's male stripper movie "Magic Mike" upped the innuendo factor in it's advertising, using phrases like "Coming" and "Back to the Grind" on its posters.
Warner Bros.
"Captivity" (2007) Ads for the Elisha Cuthbert horror flick featuring images of the actress being kidnapped and tortured caused an outrage when they appeared on billboards around Los Angeles. The studio later explained that the wrong ads were sent to the printer
After Dark
"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (2008) Even the suggestion of oral sex in the posters for the Elizabeth Banks/Seth Rogen comedy was enough to get them banned by the MPAA
The Weinstein Company
"American Sniper" (2014) A West Los Angeles billboard for 2014's "American Sniper" was vandalized with graffiti reading "Murder!" after the movie received criticism for promoting war
Twitter
"The Virginity Hit" (2010) Billboards for "The Virginity Hit" simply read, "Still a virgin?" with the number of a hotline to call for help, prompting campaigns for the posters to be removed
Sony Pictures
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) David Fincher's adaptation of the Swedish novel drew criticism for its ads featuring Daniel Craig wrapping his arms around a topless Rooney Mara
Columbia Pictures
"Diana" (2013) A poster for the Princess Diana biopic starring Naomi Watts was inadvertently placed just feet away from the site of her fatal car accident, causing an uproar and the poster's removal
Twitter
"The Strain" (2014) Billboards for FX's horror series "The Strain" received a disgusted response on social media that was strong enough to convince the network to take them down
FX
"Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce" (2014) The posters for Bravo's first scripted series featured star Lisa Edelstein showing off her bare ring finger in a manner scandalous enough to get them banned from buses and subways in New York and Los Angeles.
Bravo
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These posters and billboards have sparked outcry for depicting sex, violence and torture