At the meeting held at the VR First Laboratory, established in collaboration between Bahçeşehir University and Crytek, one of the world's leading game companies, the series was screened and its production stages and technical evaluations were shared with students.

"VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE CINEMA CONSIDERABLY"

Randal Kleiser said he was very happy to be in Istanbul. Stating that Defrost was a project that came to his mind in 1968 while he was at university but remained at the concept stage because VR technology had not yet developed, Kleiser said: "Now 12 episodes of this virtual reality series have been shot, and 12 more episodes are next. From here, we will be going to the Cannes Film Festival to promote the project."

Stating that virtual reality is a very new field and that it is necessary to look at audience reactions to see what developments it will bring to the film industry, Kleiser said: "Virtual reality technology will change cinema considerably. In a sense, it is a brand-new form in which film and theater come together. But of course, there is an important change especially on the audience side. Because this time it is not just about watching; it is actually about 'experience'. We are talking about an experience that completely surrounds them. This will of course change all film-watching habits, and perhaps from now on we will call this experiencing films."
 

"BEING OPEN TO INNOVATION, I MOVED FROM A MUSICAL FILM LIKE 'GREASE' TO 'VR'"

Stating that he started his directing career with highly acclaimed films such as Grease, The Blue Lagoon and White Fang, but that he keeps up with technology as he is open to innovation, Kleiser said: "I started out with Grease. Grease is still a very important film. Even though 30 years have passed, it is still watched. But I am very curious about new things. My brother is a visual effects specialist. He shares new things with me and I try to learn them. Since I am someone who likes to renew himself, I decided to enter this field after being introduced to VR."

"THIS LABORATORY AT BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY IS STILL VERY NEW EVEN IN THE WORLD"

Michael Mansouri, assistant director-producer of Iron Man II, Avengers III, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and the Entourage series and films, said: "We are at Bahçeşehir University with Randal Kleiser to introduce the Defrost project. Defrost is a series project shot with virtual reality technology. It is actually a pilot project, because virtual reality is a new technology in every field. Of course, we created this project by solving a number of challenges brought by the technology. This is my first time in Türkiye and I am very happy to be here. It is especially exciting that such a facility has been established here. Because such laboratories are very new even in the world. It is great that it has started here."
 

"THIS IS BOTH A FIRST IN TÜRKİYE AND A LABORATORY THAT HAS KEPT PACE GLOBALLY"

Stating that VR First, the virtual reality laboratory opened by Bahçeşehir University in partnership with Crytek, was established to do pioneering work, Assist. Prof. Dr. Güven Çatak, faculty member of the Bahçeşehir University Department of Digital Game Design and founder of the Game Lab (BUG), said: "This is both a first in Türkiye and a laboratory that has kept pace in this race at the global level. These events, which we call Master Classes, are very important for us. Today, they will share the Defrost project with both VR First members and our special guests. We will hold a great workshop on how virtual reality is changing cinema and reshaping the language of film. Through the VR First Laboratory, all innovations in the field of VR around the world are followed and new work is developed in this field. Likewise, important names from the industry frequently come to the university for training, seminars and workshops."