VR and Storytelling

This short article/video brings up several issues/possibilities for research regarding VR:

  1. Eye strain after 10-15 minutes makes it difficult now for feature film VR. Best stories (like online videos) are short (5-10 min.)
  2. Every new technology goes through an infatuation stage. Zoom shots in the 1960s-70s, speed ramp shots in 1990s, bullet time in early 2000s, etc. The VR stories that won’t seem “cheesy” in the future are ones that use the technology in service of the story.
  3. Viewers begin a VR experience by looking all around, then settling down after 10-15 seconds. I believe this shows the tension between immersion in a sensorium and the desire for seeking out salient information.
  4. Directional sound can be employed to direct a viewer’s gaze toward a specific location. It would be interesting to compare this to a J-cut (split edit) in continuity editing.
  5. Travelogues seem to be a popular VR expereince now, just like early film. What other patterns from film’s history will be repeated in VR?

http://www.voanews.com/a/virtual-reality-full-length-movies/3475271.html

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