Saturday 16th June 2018 - Closing Night of VIVID & SFF Volunteering @ VR Festival Hub Town Hall

My manager asked me yesterday "So what state are you in this weekend?" My response "NSW". I don't travel interstate for events every weekend, in fact my next interstate trip may not be until September and it will be a quick one due to work commitments.

This weekend is another busy one hence I have to stay put in NSW.

Tonight is the closing night of VIVID 2018. As mentioned I will be sticking to my annual tradition of going to Toronga Zoo on the closing night of VIVID. The first session that did not have an exhausted allocation was the 6.30 pm session. I really wanted to go to the 5.30 pm session but it was sold out well in advance. All sessions tonight to go on the skyride gondola included were already sold out so I have to make do with a general admission ticket which cost the same price.

Before I make my way to Toronga Zoo I need to do my first and only shift I had to request to be allocated @ the SFF VR experience festival hub @ the Town Hall today from 11.15 am - 2.30 pm.

This was a lot more fun then volunteering at The State Theatre which will be my last shift tomorrow ie closing night of the SFF from 1.30 pm - 6 pm before seeing my final movie @ the Events Cinema just down on George Street. The movie does not start until after 8 pm. Another late night out! I hope I can stay awake until past 10 pm!

I enjoyed volunteering a little more at the VR experience hub because it was less boring then the State Theatre although a little shorter then the other shifts I had and I was a little disappointed with a few things therefore giving it a lower rating then I would have ie 7/10 from a volunteering perspective. I would have loved to have been able to see any one of the VR experiences in full but all sessions that fit into my schedule were sold out by the time I fluffed around to find out if my admit one ticket could be used for a VR session instead of another movie. So now I have 2 spare admit one tickets left for today and the closing day of the SFF ie tomorrow. If I had been told I was able to use an admit one ticket  at the box office a few days back, I would have booked a session on Saturday after my volunteering was over in advance and stayed in the city to travel directly to VIVID @ Toronga Zoo. Disappointed I was told no at the box office and had to confirm this with the volunteer co ordinator who had to find out and get back to me with a yes. You also could not use the code to book online which I also tried to do a while back as there is no option to enter a code.

Although fun I would not have chosen Lambchild unless someone else wanted to do this with me but I would have seen VR experience # 1 Planet Immersive which is completely sold out.

I would have liked a little more training and time to play with the VR equipment prior to my shift and definitely a few more shifts as I am sure I selected on my original application the Festival Hub @ Town Hall as one of my selections of where I would like to volunteer. Obviously overlooked which does not give me a good impression and therefore cementing my decision not to apply to volunteer again next year. There were rumours that preference was given for certain venues and roles to people who had volunteered in previous years. I don't believe it should work this way as people who volunteer come from a very diverse range of skills experience and industries. Notice that I always (unless I make a mistake because I am tired) use the word "volunteer" rather then "work". I am not working I am volunteering which is a big difference. Another complaint would be there are no VR sessions between 2 pm and 4 pm due to a panel discussion. Our shift started at 11.15 am but did not end until 2.30 pm and a new group of volunteers arrived at around 2 pm so we had to hang around until they finished their training which they seemed to have more time doing then our group did. Maybe we should have started at 11 am to allow more time to iron out more technical issues encountered during the shift I was on. The technology used was typical older hire technology hence very chunky and gitchy and prone to accidental user tampering such as accidently pressing the reset button or headsets not working  ie vision but no sound ( handsets were recharged on a rotational basis but did overheat very quickly during single usage session).

Refer short video uploaded onto You Tube of Lambchild an interactive 2 player VR experience lasting 20 minutes per session.

Photos also attached of VR hub @ Town Hall.

As soon as my shift ended at 2.30 pm I left to do a quick grocery shop at Woolworths then it was straight back home unload my groceries recharge my phone and continue to upload videos and blog before heading out by bus on the M40 to Circular Quay to then board a ferry to Taronga Zoo. I left around 5.15 pm and was very lucky the barriers and gates direct from George Street to the ferry wharves and Circular Quay Station were not blocked off. It was just before 6 pm and the crowds had not hit capacity yet as the sails of the Opera House were not lit up yet. I managed to get on the ferry that was docked at Wharf 4. If I missed  it the next ferry was about 30 minutes wait and would not have got me to Taronga Zoo in time for my 6.30 pm session (not that ticket scanners were that strict about when people arrived). Once you arrive at Taronga Zoo wharf you still need to board another bus that takes you to the main entrance at the top of the hill. No entry at the bottom of the Zoo and you can walk it however it is dark and cold therefore a short awaiting bus ride is probably a sensible option especially if you have kids and a pram. No tapping on and off required on the bus just the ferry.

I am too tired to upload a full selection of photos and it takes too long therefore have copied a link from my facebook page which are photos mostly of all the new light sculptures/ installations around Taronga Zoo @ VIVID this year. Above is just some random ones I have quickly uploaded which I think maybe "instagram worthy". No video uploaded onto You Tube this year as there was no new projection onto the facade of the Taronga Zoo buildings. In the theatre inside Taronga Zoo there is a rehash of a previous years VIVID  projection onto a large curved screen. Pram access and seating available.

https://www.facebook.com/1244668633/posts/10217495069949029/

Rating : 8/10 I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did and paying almost $30 entry fee I thought was a bit steep but I loved the new light installations. Favourite would have to be the new kid's design of the Bilby - there is just something cute about its animated facial expression. Crowd control was quite good and there was almost no waiting time from ferry to bus to entry into Taronga Zoo and I spent a relaxed 1.5 hours seeing the entire light walk where the recommended time was to spend  1 - 1.5 hours to see it.

Back out through the Shark's mouth onto a bus waiting outside the zoo's main entrance down to the ferry wharf and back on the train @ Circular Quay to Wynyard changing onto another train back to Chatswood station and onto a # 136 bus home.

A little after 9 pm and there are still crowds of people out and about cramming in the last few hours of the VIVID festival from Circular Quay to The Rocks to The Botanic Gardens to Darling Harbour to Taronga Zoo to the Opera House to Barangaroo to Luna Park to Central Station to Kings Cross and to Chatswood.

I have heard a few people comment on how VIVID was not as good as previous years maybe budget cuts as I mentioned maybe a different focus. VIVID 2018 is over for another year and therefore I rate it an overall  7.5/10

If you missed VIVID 2018  please feel free to read my blogs,  see my facebook page and watch my You Tube videos.