Concluding the REBOOT journey: Université Côte d’Azur in REBOOT – Innovation, Immersion and the Future of European Film
Concluding the REBOOT journey:
Université Côte d’Azur in REBOOT – Innovation, Immersion and the Future of European Film
As the REBOOT project is brought to completion (2023–2026), Université Côte d’Azur (UniCA) is honored to have been part of the consortium’s common goal: boosting the competitiveness of European film industry while keeping cultural diversity, creativity, and young audiences at the very core of the conversation.
UniCA examined how Extended Reality tools (VR/AR/MR/XR) might alter the way young audiences engage with screen-based content. We approached XR as an extension of cinema as well as an emerging form of storytelling where attention, space, and interaction become part of the narrative. By comparing public funding and support schemes (in Europe and beyond), we identified that current policy frameworks remain fragmented and often provide insufficient support for cinema/XR hybridization at scale. Alongside this policy work, we conducted experimental audience research using eye-tracking to better understand how viewers perceive and process spatial information in immersive environments. The findings point toward distinctive cognitive and attentional dynamics in XR settings-suggesting that immersive formats may open new paths to engage younger publics and renew the attractiveness of European audiovisual creation.
Université Côte d’Azur in REBOOT – Innovation, Immersion and the Future of European Film
As the REBOOT project is brought to completion (2023–2026), Université Côte d’Azur (UniCA) is honored to have been part of the consortium’s common goal: boosting the competitiveness of European film industry while keeping cultural diversity, creativity, and young audiences at the very core of the conversation.
UniCA examined how Extended Reality tools (VR/AR/MR/XR) might alter the way young audiences engage with screen-based content. We approached XR as an extension of cinema as well as an emerging form of storytelling where attention, space, and interaction become part of the narrative. By comparing public funding and support schemes (in Europe and beyond), we identified that current policy frameworks remain fragmented and often provide insufficient support for cinema/XR hybridization at scale. Alongside this policy work, we conducted experimental audience research using eye-tracking to better understand how viewers perceive and process spatial information in immersive environments. The findings point toward distinctive cognitive and attentional dynamics in XR settings-suggesting that immersive formats may open new paths to engage younger publics and renew the attractiveness of European audiovisual creation.
Second, UniCA explored a frequently under-discussed dimension of competitiveness: film music. Through qualitative survey work and case-based analysis (including observation of professional recording sessions), we highlighted how scoring practices combine creativity, technical expertise, teamwork, and time-sensitive production constraints. Understanding these processes helps make visible the artistic and industrial value of composers and orchestra: key contributors to film identity, emotional impact, and cultural distinctiveness.
Across both strands, our contribution underlines a simple message:European cinema’s future competitiveness will depend not only on markets and funding distribution, but also on innovation in formats, skills, and creative ecosystems-especially those that speak to new generations.
Across both strands, our contribution underlines a simple message:European cinema’s future competitiveness will depend not only on markets and funding distribution, but also on innovation in formats, skills, and creative ecosystems-especially those that speak to new generations.