cutting edge
an explorative, research-focused VR interactive storytelling project for the oculus
how can we bring storytelling techniques from film into the VR space?
prior art
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techniques like the continuity edit, cross-cut, establishing shot, reaction shot, montage, smash cut, L-cut, J-cut, match cut, and dissolve - all these dramatically impact the way the story is told and the effect it has on the viewer.
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heavily inspired by [the work of satoshi kon], we wanted to see how these groundbreaking cuts might translate into a 3D VR space.
now…what does interactivity and VR bring to the film and storytelling space?
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we looked at games like THIRTY FLIGHTS OF LOVING which had a intense cinematic experience with a focus on storytelling, but within a 3D interactive environment.
we also looked at Virginia which incorporated many interactive cuts and scene transitions that were triggered by the player.
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being in VR is to embody a character in a space.
the madeleine moment – or Proust effect - concerns the ability of memory to be invoked involuntarily when it had been previously blocked.
we felt strongly that this combination of embodiment and triggering something out of your control was powerful and became the impetus for the experiments that followed.
watch the final VR experience:
here are some of the main cuts and transitions featured:
worked with our effects programmer to implement these transition effects in VR, and experimented with being able to control the speed or progress of the cuts, making them “reversible”
these effects are now available in our unity package on github
team logo design iteration
sculpted, rigged, textured and animated the main NPC
