Students of KazNU - mentors of VR festival

Students of Al-Farabi KazNU participated as mentors at the Digital Autumn festival at the Abylkhan Kasteev State Art Museum dedicated to immersive art.

The event, which combined creativity and technology, was organized by Less Media Group with the support of the French Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Faculty of Journalism of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

This year's festival combined an exhibition of VR artworks and photographs. The importance of the creative industry development was emphasized in his message by the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev. Bekzat Akhmetkazy, a 3rd year student of the educational program "Media Communications" of KazNU, shared his impressions about working at the festival. He noted that VR is increasingly entering our lives.  At the festival he got a great experience and new knowledge about VR (virtual reality), especially since the content presented at the festival was addressed to visitors from 16 years and older. There were a lot of people willing to familiarize themselves with the new technologies. All of them are delighted with the full immersion in virtual reality. The audience was interested in the course of this peculiar experiment.

The VR program of the Digital Autumn festival consisted of 11 immersive works created by or co-developed with leading French VR studios. Students not only familiarized themselves with the most striking VR projects that shape the image of these new digital media, but also literally immerse themselves in the very essence of the work with the help of virtual reality goggles.

During the days of the festival there was an acquaintance with VR-works that won the main awards of the Venice International Film Festival and SXSW festival in the USA. VR-technology is a transformative phenomenon in journalism. Students were trained in a virtual reality workshop for fifteen days. Bekzat Akhmetkazy, Alimzhan Kairatuly, Zhuldyz Zhamenkinka, Zhuldyz Zhumakanova, Zhanerke Khairadin, Aihanim Tolepbergen provided mentoring services to the French Embassy at the VR-festival.

The students provided VR-zones to each guest of the exhibition, used the devices correctly, presented the exhibition materials in Kazakh, Russian and English languages.

VR-projects differed in format, duration, level of interactivity, but they caused the maximum sense of presence in the viewer.

Journalists' deep understanding of history in psychological terms, as well as details in writing information and citing data, will undoubtedly be helped by immersive technologies. Modules on immersive journalism that improve students' knowledge and skills will be introduced into the curricula of the educational programs of the Department of Press and Electronic Media on the recommendation of the French Embassy in Kazakhstan and the French Institute.

Press-service of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University