Virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular in a number of different companies and industries.
Virtual reality is proving to be transformative for the gaming industry, with many big titles now playable with a VR headset. Even new casino sites are starting to integrate virtual reality technology into their casino games. This leads to increased engagement and longer dwell time on the websites.
The next industry that is quickly looking for ways to adopt and implement virtual reality technologies and concepts is the film industry. The film industry has been a major provider of entertainment for people around the world for over a century.
Over the past century, the industry has continually reinvented itself and adapted to ever-changing technologies. The technologies used to make and distribute films 100 years ago have little in common with the technologies used today.
Virtual reality has the potential to impact the film industry, as has the shift from black and white to color, analog to digital, or the rise of computer-generated graphics.
Virtual Reality enables filmmakers to create truly immersive experiences. Instead of appearing as a spectator watching what is happening, the audience can instead be right in the middle of it. This allows the audience to experience the story from a unique perspective and angle. Much like 3D movies created an enhanced cinema experience, virtual reality has the potential to do the same. Movies like Avatar owe their success in part to the use of 3D and CGI technology.
Good filmmaking is about storytelling, and while technology is no substitute for a good story, it can enhance it. State-of-the-art technology of the time helped a number of films to be successful at the box office. Virtual reality has the potential to transform the way filmmakers tell their stories.
We can all remember the choose-your-own-adventure stories from the old days. Being able to reread the story and follow a different path made it more engaging than a normal novel. This interactive storytelling is made possible by virtual reality. Interactive storytelling is the opportunity to provide viewers with a fully immersive and interactive experience in which they can make choices that affect the outcome of the story. This sense of impact is something that traditional films cannot replicate.
This interactive storytelling allows for the creation of non-linear stories that viewers can experience in a 360-degree environment, and even allows for multiple storytelling at the same time. Ultimately, using virtual reality in this way could end up blurring the lines between what movies are and what games are.
Media agencies like Forbes started reporting on the use of virtual reality in movie making back in 2018, but we haven’t seen a major blockbuster made with this technology yet.
Not only can virtual reality impact the viewer’s experience, but it can also fundamentally change the way movies are produced. Filmmakers can use this technology to simulate complex film scenarios in advance and thus train crew members, stuntmen or even the actors in a cost-effective and safe manner.
Enabling actors to experience real-time computer-generated graphics (CGI) can improve the quality of interactions between real and digital characters and environments.
Virtual reality can also be used to create interesting and engaging marketing opportunities to promote the film. This can include immersive movie trailers or other promotional experiences that generate interest in the upcoming movie.
While not yet mainstream, many VR movies have already been created and can easily be viewed on a VR headset in the comfort of your living room.
Given the many applications for virtual reality in the film industry identified in this article, it’s likely that we’ll see its use more frequently in the future. However, virtual reality is an emerging and rapidly evolving technology. It will therefore likely continue to offer new and exciting opportunities for filmmakers. Many of these possibilities you have not even imagined.
Regardless of the future, however, virtual reality can create fully immersive movie experiences that are indistinguishable from today’s reality. Filmmakers just have to be brave enough to be pioneers.
