THE FUTURE OF MUSIC VIDEOS
Today we meet 2Immersive4U, a start-up venture led by a handful of music professionals with aims at changing the video experience. They take knowledge from the gaming industry and channel it into 360° immersive videos. Using a proprietary process based on Unreal Engine software, they create immersive environments that offer a unique storytelling experience.
Today we chat with -
Dusan Simic – Co-Founder & CEO
Filip Milinkovic – President
How did you guys start and create 2Immersive4U?
(Dusan) – I had been going into a local Business HUB for digital business training where I was actually late on a first course that day, and this young guy was talking about his approach to enhancing products and digital landscapes. They assigned me Filip as a mentor. We figured out that we have a lot in common not just business wise, but also our ideas aligned so we started developing this new market. I was like ‘This guy is at least 25, maybe 26 years old.’ Turns out he was only 19 at the time. I later reached out to George Radmilovic, a small record label owner and NASA engineer. He was the one who knew Patrick Hartory, a top music industry manager with a bunch of gold records to show for it. I decided to start with music videos since I also have a background in music and our idea took off from there.
(Filip) - One of the most unusual projects for me was something we worked on called “Mr. Memo.” Setup goes something like this: We have a pen in front of us from the 90's; thousands are stacked in a warehouse. Now we need to revive a three-decade old brand while showing the world what we we’re all about. (Dusan did mention that I’m a youngster). We said: “Let’s do it!”
(Dusan) – And is there anything more American than selling a pen?
What do you mean that the future of music videos is hidden in 360 gaming technology?
(Dusan) If you look at the market long enough, you will see that everything is becoming interconnected. Big artists are using gaming platforms and techniques (As Travis Scott did with Fortnite) so merging incredible ideas and new media is becoming the future. For us, 360° is just the beginning.
(Filip) And let’s be real. Other music videos aren’t your only competitor there. When dealing with entertainment, everything people do in their free time is your competitor. Since we’re all fighting for people’s attention, it’s not news that gaming is winning this battle for quite some time now. What we do takes the best part of what is appealing to people and gaming takes it back into the music world.
What are the inspirations or influences behind this new creativity?
(Filip) I may be more interested in the “business” part but that’s for me a form of creativity in itself. I drive the inspiration mostly from the various stories and worlds that I like to lose myself in. Be it manga/anime worlds like Naruto/Bleach or video game worlds like Final Fantasy 14 or World of Warcraft. Or just my own imagination.
(Dusan) Since all the people in our company are highly creative, everything from audio to video format gets us exited. Plus, we are in business, so there is a lot of people like Elon Musk who paved their vision into a great business model.
I can also just say what I’ve listened to recently on Spotify, which is Rick Rubin’s ‘Best Of’ playlist, Lex Friedman podcast, the Nine Inch Nails new single, the Batman animated movie and comic, the Long Halloween part 1 & 2, and Amazon’s documentary about Val Kilmer.
Not to forget the incredible books by Ted Chiang - Stories of Your Life - and others. That would be my pick at the moment.
Is there a specific genre of music that is moving solely in this direction
(Dusan) Hip-hop artists are the ones that are most open to changes in a good sense, but I think at the end it depends on many other factors, say if you have a label and many people are involved in decision making.
(Filip) I agree with Dusan. The music industry operates in layers with various decision makers so that plays into
the equation. What I know as a fan is that metal (a genre which I personally like) is very slow to adapt to changes. Not only in the video sense, but in the music art form in general.
Do you think there is a chance of returning to the old style in the future or does technology just continue to keep moving forward into a more VR form of reality, or alter universe?
(Dusan) Everything is a remix of a remix so I think we should do what we feel is right, wherever that road takes us creatively. Even people who work in technology should appreciate art, both old or new.
(Filip) Most of the story elements and ideas are timeless. Only by embracing the traditional and improving it can we truly grow together with virtual reality. That’s the very reason why we optimize our videos to be viewed by your mobile phone only. Sometimes, adding more technology isn’t the solution, but getting down to basics is.
Do you work with music artists directly or is this somehow a part of collaboration with the labels ?
(Dusan) We have worked directly with artists, but are plan is to work with labels in the future. More worlds, ideas and interesting takes and personalities to explore!
(Filip) Wouldn't it be great if instead of a single artist we can have a joint movement of different artists for the same label go forth with creativity? We can create interconnected stories and make one big art piece that transcends just one artist or one label.
In general how do you see the creative world changing. and do think we are all ready for such changes that are going on so incredibly fast?
(Dusan) Everything evolves. Sometimes it takes years, sometimes it takes minutes. We’re always somewhere in between, trying to pursue our ideas for the future. Often those ideas happen, and sometimes they come in different forms than you expected.
(Filip) Funny enough, change is one of my favorite topics, business and creativity wise. We are never ready for the big changes and we often don’t see them coming until they’re already here. The key is recognizing and grasping them early so we always stay ahead.