Filmmaker Magazine: Released today, Invisible is director Doug Liman’s first foray into virtual reality, a five-part science-fiction thriller that places viewers in the midst of a tale involving corporate secrets, future tech and family treachery. The series takes off from the question one sometimes mulls: what superpower would I choose for myself? Says producer Julina Tatlock of the production company 30 Ninjas, “One of the top superpowers people would choose is invisibility — and we’ve all dreamed about being rich.
6 comments:
Storytelling through VR is still in the experimental stage, and it is wonderful to see filmmakers like Liman who think so critically ad creatively about this medium — the agency it gives to the viewer, the difference between VR scripts and traditional film scripts, and the abandoning of all previous assumptions about how a film should be made. There are a lot of small VR “studios” online that produce independent VR films. I have watched a few excerpts in the past, and as a viewer I felt detached from the story, even though VR was supposed to make me feel fully immersed. When VR is combined with traditional cinematography, both lose their magic. I am excited to see how filmmakers can create a whole new system of storytelling methods on VR platform which the audience can appreciate and quickly adjust to.
I recently experienced my first virtual reality movie through Oculus Rift. I watched Oculus’ Henry and it was ridiculously adorable and fun to experience. Having an immersive sound and visual movie is definitely one that I respect and see potential in. Though I do not completely understand the titling of Invisible (when you watch a movie, you are also invisible to the actors on the screen), I find the described camera angles and action shots to be both terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I wonder how they will engage in these scenes – will fighters go through the VR user? If I should watch the movie, would I get scared to the point of falling over an object that is in my actual reality? Should I sit or stand during this experience? The view from within the grave only adds to these questions – will the sound be the same as if I was hearing the characters from within the pit? Will the voices be too quiet? There is so much potential and variability that is left to the discretion of the producers. With interest like this, VR will become the new 3-D fad of the 21st century.
I find it interesting that Doug Liman used a trial and error approach to starting to work in VR. For some reason, I assumed that he would have tried to figure everything out ahead of times, the keep trying to achieve that goal. In retrospect, I don’t know why I would think this. The best thing to do when you don’t know what to do is to do something. It doesn’t need to be good, right or even usable later on but at least there is something for the next step to be based on. Often times, I find myself walking straight towards the solution without think I am. For Liman, doing multiple tests to get the right effect seems like right tactic to figure out how to properly use the VR medium. I also think the idea of how you can make someone care in a movie, but you can’t in VR is interesting. In the movie, the director is determining what the audience is seeing as opposed to VR. In VR, the audience can look at anything and not pay attention to the story that the author is trying to tell. I want to see how the solution of audience care right off the bat and have short to the point scene works out.
VR is so incredible, as much as I love art it made me wish I was a little less disastrous when it comes to electronics, in the hope that I could be a part of the developing industry. VRs progress in the last few years is crazy, I remember watching my first 360 video on youtube and I watched it on accident. I couldn't figure out why a ballet video was just wood floor, I had been holding my phone in my lap. I first thought it was some cheesy home video, but the quality of the image was to good to be a mis angled camera. I picked up my phone to move and was surprised when the screen changed, suddenly I could see the ballerinas, who had been there the entire time. It was astonishing. I can't wait to be immersed in this kind of movie and I look forward to Invisible.
Virtual Reality is a huge step in the world of entertainment, and I’m very interested to see how the industry chooses to use it. The idea of watching a film, or a series of films in this case, seems really interesting. Especially since we more closely associate VR with gaming, not film. But the fact that someone has decided to create a VR film means this technology is very adaptable. The author of the article made a very interesting point about the challenges of VR, and about failing as both a creator and audience member. We spent quite a bit of time this semester talking about using the medium to the fullest extent. As a filmmaker delving into the world of VR, I imagine that takes a lot of time and playtesting. And as an audience member, you have to throw out certain expectations on what watching a film means. The idea of watching a film usually implies a more passive experience on the part of the viewer, you watch the action, but don’t interact. VR challenges this convention in a really forceful way. I’m interested to see how the film industry adapts and utilizes VR.
I'm truly excited to be a witness to the beginning of a new era of VR/performance collaboration. While the field of performance is constantly changing, and VR is a very new player to the field, I thing that the product of this collaboration could be something truly exciting and revolutionary. I have yet to be involved with a project that uses VR, but I would love to even be able to observe, so as to answer a few of my questions. For one, how do actors adapt to performing in a non-traditional scenario such as this? What sorts of special considerations do technical professionals have to take while producing works such as these?
Post a Comment