Billly Corgan's 'Aeronaut VR' wins Cannes Digital Craft Grand Prix

The Digital Craft Grand Prix winner at Cannes this year was Aeronaut VR, a mixed-media VR experience created for Corgan, aka Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame.

Directors David Liu and Rob Ruffler with Viacom NEXT and Isobar created a hologram of Corgan's three-and-a-half minute performance of the "Aeronaut" tune to artist Danny Bittman's world in volumetric video. It then used the Unity and Tilt Brush to create a fantastical environment around him and those elements were then rendered in a 2D film teasing a virtual reality experience.

Digital Craft Jury President Jean Lin, global chief CEO of Isobar, said, "We [wanted] to choose something that rewards technology and artistry that connects to the story." The jury also wanted to honor "craft with purpose, rather than craft for craft's sake. ... The whole process also made us think of how we wanted to inspire more clients to be brave. "

On the winning work, she said, "It's very difficult to reward a piece of work that can represent the totality of the diverse world of digital craft. From the start of judging, 'Aeronaut' stirred our emotions."