Thalu: Dreamtime is Now

The biggest VR project I’ve undertaken to date!

In early 2016 Frame partnered with indigenous storyteller, Tyson Mowarin to develop and then produce Thalu: Dreamtime is Now.

The premise of the experience revolves around the VR user become a character named Sheldon – a disenfranchised mine site worker in the Pilbara (Far north Western Australia)

As Sheldon, the user gets taken down into the Ngarluma underworld where the spirits of the world are kept until they are needed in our world – when they are sent up through Thalu, sacred portals that link the two worlds.

Whilst in the spirit world the user meetings Jirri Jirri the spirit guide, who gives a traditional welcome to country and fills the user in on what is happening and what they must do. After which Jirri Jirri travels along with the user through 3 sub-worlds.

The Flora spirit world with plants from the Pilbara (and lots of red rock and spinifex!)
In this world, the user controls the wind and must send up the pollen.

The Fauna world with a variety of animal spirits. In this world, the user controls a giant flock of budgerigars. They must fly them through the other animals to send their spirits up.

The Elements world is where the user casts dust, rain, and lightning into a willy-willy to send elements up.

Users meet the sky god Mingkala during the finale.

Thalu: Dreamtime is Now launched at the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival (And sold out!) It has also been shown at CinefestOz, The Byron Bay Film Festival, imagineNATIVE and several other festivals.