Is VR really the future of film? Not sure

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en_garde

So I'm just back from a VR con. 95% of stuff presented there was gear / games. Only 5% film related - and so far it seems mostly documentaries / factual shorts (aka watch your favorite artist prepare for their show).

Do you guys think VR will ever become "the thing" for narrative film?

See I'm not sure. I tried watching a couple VR shorts and don't find it "mind blowing". Couple reasons:
a)Since I control the camera it sometimes is unclear where to look - so I just sit there moving my head in all directions
b)I don't feel as relaxed as when I watch a normal film - feels much more like a gaming experience. Eg I don't think I'd eat popcorn during a VR movie
c)I found my attention span and patience being much shorter than in normal film
d)No cuddling with your gf when you watch VR:)

All this hype around VR - and yes for sure for some things like live sports, documentaries, undoubtedly games - it's great. But for your typical narrative?

What do you think?
 
It's definitely an alternative but not the future. Like self-driving cars. We'll see where that goes! But will not replace our cars. Because something is "future-like" does not = replacement. VR film could progress into a viable option though, of course. Would like to see that avenue opened up, it's good for the whole industry imo, not something to replace movies. More jobs, more festivals, more theaters.
 
en_garde said:
Sounds interesting. Any concepts yet? Never heard of this.
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LOL, Star Trek Next Generation Holodeck ;)

VR is just as much the future of film as photography was the future of painting or TV the future of radio.
There are all different media with different possibilities, different strong points and different weaknesses.

VR is more a submergive media than a storytelling medium.
That is why it is interesting for games. Games in a 3D space already have this look anywhere you want principle. VR just makes it even more submergive. Maybe even too submergive: it seems to be much scarier to play scary VR games, because you can't look away from the horror :P

The freedom of looking around disables the possibility to edit and frame shots carefully to tell a story. In that aspect one might argue that a VR movie is more like a stage play in theater (where you can choose where to look, but you can't zoom), but with VR you are located in the center of the stage instead of seat 12 on row 18.

So, while it is an interesting media, it is not the future of film. Just some kind of offspring of film. Just like film is the offspring of photography.

I am working on a VR concept, BTW, but that is still in writing phase.
(And sorry, I will not share it just yet.)
 
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en_garde said:
b)I don't feel as relaxed as when I watch a normal film - feels much more like a gaming experience. Eg I don't think I'd eat popcorn during a VR movie
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This is why VR isn't the "future of film". But as our founder and Walter
have already said I, too, believe VR will have it's place in the future.
Storytelling in VR is different than traditional methods like novels, TV,
stage, theater. I'd add that 3D is popular but not the future of film.

I'm with you, en_gard, when I go to the movies I want to be told a story,
not be the story.
 
I think AR is the future.

The only way VR would be the future is if we were willing to put aside everything else for an allotted time to be fully immersed in an experience.

With vr you can't browse your phone. You can watch your children at the same.

AR seems more likely. being able to still interact with the real world but have it augmented.
 
AR is a totally different kind of 'animal', althought using techniques used in VR.
AR is a great informational and educational medium and can probably give a great gaming experimence as well (imagine a shooter game in certain area where you can work together as a team against monsters while running around and hiding behind real world sets).

But it won't be the future of film either. It will coexist with film and VR.
 
future implies that it would be the more dominant medium.

E.g. people still record to tape but digital dominates.

I trully believe the edge of frame will be phased out in the future. especially with the exponential growth of connectivity. The box is limiting. There is just too much going on and so much to be connected to.
 
WalterB said:
LOL, Star Trek Next Generation Holodeck ;)
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YASSSS!!!!!!!!

I will not be satisfied with any of the great accomplishments of humankind until we make the holodeck a reality, one which is available for all people to experience.

I'm not joking, haha.

Anyway, as to the original question, no I don't think VR is the future of filmmaking. In fact, it kinda goes against what filmmaking is all about.

As filmmakers, we choose what we want our audience to pay attention to. Whether it be sound design, cinematography, or whatever, the art that we create is ultimately one of manipulation. It is precise and calculated.

VR is the opposite of that. VR allows the viewer to focus on whatever they want to focus on. It's pretty cool, but it's not filmmaking.

VR Porn? I wouldn't know anything about it, but a friend of mine told me it's pretty cool. *wink

VR video games? I'm 100% on-board for that.

Holodeck? Y'all nerds better get working on that, pronto!
 
I don't know that VR would not be the future of film. If it can be put into a holodeck type situation, it could very well be story-telling in a different format.

Consider, for example, Dorothy meeting the munchkins and going on the yellow brick road. The viewer could be in the middle and watch her sing with the munchkins and then take those steps. But the same viewer can also hit pause, then, assuming the holodeck is a reasonable-sized room, walk around and view the finer points of the set - the munchkins, the tiles on the road, the individual flowers, and so on.

I understand many video games now have this, which would allow the player to explore a little if he wanted.
 
I don't think it's the future of conventional, narrative story telling. However, it may end up taking "away" a significant chunk of people's attention and time…and yes, that could be away from their movie watching time.

Much is already made of how many different things pull on our attentions.

It's difficult to see VR supplanting the narrative film model. But, it may very well compete with and even win away our attentions.

What do I base this upon? I recently had an Oculus Rift demonstration at Best Buy. And wow. I chose "The Unspoken" demo…a video game with witches, or whatever. I loved it! I'm getting old and my eyes have always been wanting. So maybe it was my eyes. But you can't tweak the resolution with a dial or something. The demonstrator told me to move the headset around on my head to get better focus. That didn't really work. Still, despite the resolution being fuzzy, I luuuuved it. It was totally thrilling. If they fix the resolution problem…well, wow!!!

So no, it I don't think it will ever exactly replace the experience of sitting back and watching a narration, hearing Darth Vader reveal to Luke, and to us, that he is Luke's father. But, it may very well become a bigger draw on our attentions. It may be that we will choose to spend more time in virtual worlds and more often than we will choose to spend time watching films.

Imagine: in some future of VR entertainment, maybe Darth Vader will address each of us directly as he tells us he is our father.
 
I don't somehow think VR will actually come to be the future of films. However, filmmakers seem pretty eager to dabble in this new and fascinating world. I recently came across a news piece in The Observer which talked about virtual reality movie theaters opening in places like France, Shanghai, Beijing and Los Angeles in the coming weeks. VR sure is engaging, but that's probably because it's still in its nascent stages as far as films are concerned and anything 'new' tends to hold a certain charm of its own. Rest only time will tell.
 
I can imagine theatres being reconfigured so that the audience has a 3-d viewing experience, with an all-round screen that does the work of visors, but I don't identify the idea of going in and then wearing a headset. But that's just me.
 
I think it is. I'm trying to shoot a VR short and am trying to get funding for this. The rigs at the moment are terrible unless someone is spending massive amounts of money (8 bit, essentially) and there are a whole series of issues around stitch lines, timing, trying not to make the audience vomit etc... For example, walking up the stairs or a sudden movement, sudden cuts etc... just end up making the audience tear off their rig through sheer nausea.

Also, sound... It's a monumental pain in the butt. With a boom, it involves plating, determining stitch lines etc... and it's a headache.

However, it opens up some amazing potential.

I doubt I'll get the funding but worth having a go.
 
I still think it will be a new branch on the tree of communication/art.
Just like theater, opera, radio and movies are different branches on that tree.

In the next few weeks I want to do a short test for my VR concept.
 
Is virtual reality the next step in film technology?

The indie film Industry has seemed to settle on 2D cameras for film, but with the lowering price of Virtual reality and VR cameras will this change soon? what are some good examples of 360 degree virtual reality indie filmmaking?
 
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