FAQ: Viacom Music + VR Summer Fellowship

7 min readApr 17, 2017

Extended details regarding NYC Media Lab’s open call

This summer 2017, NYC Media Lab presents the second annual Viacom VR Fellowship in collaboration with Viacom NEXT. Virtual reality is a new medium that draws from the best of many disciplines and techniques, for example: art, engineering, animation, and game design. This Fellowship is for those who treat VR like the new mish-mash medium that it is and those who are eager to challenge themselves about what works best for them when using this medium.

The focus of this fellowship will be new experiences for fans to enjoy music in new ways. Fellows will be given access to Viacom’s music library to choose one song and create an original virtual reality experience for it. Please see the FAQ for applying to the fellowship below.

Apply online here: http://nycmedialab.org/projects/viacom-vr-summer-fellowship-2017

___

Who is eligible to apply?

This fellowship is intended for individual contributors or teams of no more than two current graduate students, who are experienced and capable in rapid prototyping (coding, visual design and user experience) in virtual reality environments. Candidates must be currently affiliated with a university at the time of submitting an application.

Can I apply in as a beginner VR creator?

Viacom NEXT encourages learning on the fly, however, you will be expected to make sure that your prototype works, and that you have the technical experience to build your prototype. This fellowship is intended for graduate students who are actively building for VR. If you have experience in music, game design, or interaction design, highlight your experience in your application. Background in VR, music, and designing effective interactive experiences are all valuable for this fellowship. . Applicants should also be comfortable with project management (scoping, meeting milestones, presenting deliverables). NYC Media Lab and Viacom will provide a structure (ex: schedule, access to mentors, equipment) for the fellowship, and we are seeking Fellows who will leverage the structure to produce their prototypes from initial concept to demo-ready experience.

Can I have a partner in the Fellowship?

We prefer to award 5 individual contributors. However, we will accept a team of two if the project idea is strong. If there are two people working as a team, we ask that you are both prepared to bring both skill sets in full each week.

If I am an international student, am I eligible to apply for this fellowship?

Yes, this fellowship is an opportunity that is a project-based experience. It is not considered employment with either NYC Media Lab or Viacom.

What is the music library like?

Viacom’s music library is enormous (over 25,000 tracks/stems that fellows will have access to), and Viacom NEXT Mentors will provide an overview of how to access the selection of the the library that will be available to Fellows. Fellows will be given a specific login, where they can search Viacom’s music library. It will be possible to search among titles, artists, genres, moods and other tags. The music library that fellows will have access to also has stems (individual instrument recordings) available for certain songs, in case fellows are interested in breaking down songs for their project. Not all of the songs in the Viacom Music Library have stems available, but there will be a sub selection of tracks that are broken down into various stems, including things like drums/vocals/bass guitar etc. depending on what instrumentation the track uses.

Does my VR prototype need to use the music selection from start to finish? (i.e. if I choose a 3-minute song, does my VR experience have to be a 3-minute experience for the whole song?)

There aren’t restraints for selecting how your VR experience makes use of the music. The experience does not need to be limited to the duration of the music as the source material. Viacom NEXT is open to unlimited creativity and unique perspectives. Let’s say you have ideas on chopping up the song and using it in different, novel ways, or using only parts of the song for your experience, that’s OK.

Can I use more than one song in creating my VR prototype deliverable?

Fellows will be asked to choose one song as the main influence or inspiration for their VR prototype, although they can explore using more than one song at the beginning of the fellowship when they are deciding on what to use.

Will there be copyright or licensing issues for creating my VR experience?

Viacom has the licenses for the music that you will be able to use. If fellows are using third-party software or assets (e.g. plugins, 3D models, textures, sound effects), fellows will need to make sure they have valid licenses to use those assets and properly credit their source. Such software and assets should only be used to support or enhance the fellows’ own work — the majority of the project must be original content produced by the fellows

Can my VR prototype be a gaming experience?

It can, but Viacom NEXT is interested in exploring a wide variety of VR experiences. . For this fellowship, your project will be selected based on how compelling your idea is as it relates to music. Also, keep in mind the scope of the fellowship — in 8 weeks, it is possible, but difficult, to produce a game prototype.

Where can I see some examples of past Viacom NEXT projects?

Please browse Viacom NEXT’s website here for some examples of compelling experiences. You can also read about last year’s Viacom VR Fellowship with NYC Media Lab on RoadtoVR here. And you can read a Rolling Stone writeup of Viacom Next’s recent activities here.

Who are some external mentors that will be affiliated with the program?

In addition to a roster of Viacom Mentors with brand experience at Nickelodeon, MTV, Paramount and other divisions, who will be available throughout the program, fellows can expect to get feedback from external industry leaders such as:

Tyler Hurd (creator of Old Friend and Chocolate VR)

Adam Arrigo (CEO of TheWaveVR)

Isaac Cohen (Cabibbo, a well known VR artist)

What is Viacom NEXT’s interest in WebVR? Can Fellows experiment with WebVR?

Yes, although the preference to have Fellows develop for the Vive as a final deliverable as well.

What is Viacom NEXT’s interest in art-focused conceptual prototypes?

Viacom NEXT encourages artists to apply in with the the best prototype idea they believe they can deliver, whether it has an art and/or technical focus.

What is the duration of the program? Are the dates set?

This is an 8 week program beginning in June (week of June 5) and ending in August (week of August 7). Once the cohort is selected, NYC Media Lab will organize the schedule that works for all. The Demo Day may take place after August 7; currently the date is not set yet. Fellows will be expected to make progress on their experience each week. Fellows will be expected to attend weekly check-in meetings to in-person to present progress. Fellows will also be expected to have a fully working VR experience by the final demo day.

How often can I work at Viacom on my prototype?

You will have access to a scheduling spreadsheet where you can make your own schedule regarding prototyping, to have access to the equipment at Viacom. Each fellow should be able to access Viacom equipment through this system at least 2–3 days per week, if not more. Fellows are encouraged to work via Viacom in half day sessions in the morning or afternoon.

What is the time commitment for the fellowship?

Viacom NEXT encourages applicants to be available throughout the process, and to treat the fellowship like a full time job. The more proactive you are throughout the fellowship, the more successful your experience will be. If you have made, or anticipate having, other commitments during the summer, tell us about those in your application.

Who owns the work at the end of the fellowship?

Viacom will receive a non-exclusive license to show the work. Fellows will continue to own the work they produce.

What is the Viacom NEXT team culture like?

Viacom NEXT is a team of roughly a dozen creative technologists hailing from Viacom brands like Nickelodeon and MTV, as well as creative coding, game design, and film and music backgrounds. It includes designers, developers and artists working with technology like VR, AR, and Unity/Unreal. The team values lean, rapid prototyping and open innovation experience with external partners to bring in outside ideas. The team has great exposure to multiple parts of Viacom leadership and is intrapreneurial. On any given day, the team can be giving demos and evangelizing VR or presenting at industry festivals or conferences, or be “heads-down” in production mode. The team has a creative and experimental culture, and a passion for technology, music and entertainment.