CMU School of Drama


Friday, February 16, 2018

Hollywood 360: how virtual reality is poised to take on the traditional movie industry

theconversation.com: The Lawnmower Man was the first feature film to depict a new type of technology that enabled characters to explore synthetic, simulated worlds through an emerging new medium called virtual reality (VR). That was 1992.

Using head-mounted displays (HMD) the size of crash helmets and gloves with sensors, VR users were experiencing computer-generated environments and stories in new ways. Through the idea of “presence” – the feeling of actually being part of an artificially created place – any adventure was now possible, at least if the buzz was to be believed.

3 comments:

Peter Kelly said...

I think that the odds of VR succeeding in today’s market are much better than they were 20 years ago. Whether it is Google cardboard, HTC Vive, or the Oculus Rift, there are many more options than there were 20 years ago. The first VR experience that I had was with the Oculus rift back in 2013 when people were just starting to test what they could do with it. More recently I was able to watch a 360 degree music video, Saturnz Barz by the Gorillaz, on my phone using Google Cardboard while sitting on my bed. That gives me a lot of hope for the future of VR. If Netflix decided to partner with Google and send everyone with a Netflix account a set of Google Cardboard and make a VR series people would be sold on VR in a matter of months. I honestly think that Hollywood would be making a huge mistake if they opted not to test the waters of VR.

David Kelley said...

VR is a technology that both frightens me and exhilarates me. It slightly frightening because it another step towards complete escapism from the real world. But on the other hand it yet another medium to be able to tell a story which as the article states “Whereas traditional VR allows the user complete autonomy to move within a virtual space, with CVR the user has no real control other than where they look as the video plays. But because it uses pre-rendered pictures and sound, CVR programmes can approach the quality found in high-end television or films, and involve real people shot in actual physical locations. Recognising the power of this new format, YouTube and Vimeo both added 360° video playback services providing the public with easy access to CVR content.” this ability of telling story in 360° means that we could start making movies that are immersive experiences like we have in theatre and that kind cool.

Lily Cunicelli said...

Virtual Reality is so exciting to me because every horizon it crosses nowadays is completely new. I wasn't old enough to witness the rise of the internet, and I grew up with it simply being there and having a part in my everyday life. However with VR, everyone in our generation has the unique opportunity of witnessing it develop and grow to entirely new things we've never imagined before. The notion that Hollywood could adopt VR is something incredibly exciting to me, as movies are one of my favorite things and VR would ramp up an already stimulating experience to something out of this world. Once Hollywood takes on VR, there is a potential for it to be mass-marketed and be integrated into daily life-- I don't know whether this concept is exciting or concerning to me. Either way, it's amazing to be able to witness the bounds this unique technology is making every year.