What?s so exciting about virtual reality storytelling?

Posted by Johny on April 18th, 2018

Experts unanimously agree on the role and scope of virtual reality. It is changing viewing experience in a big way. It’s both exciting and overwhelming, and is definitely redefining storytelling and filmmaking by creating a high degree of immersion. The experience is cool, to say the least. So if you’re still wondering what’s so exciting about VR and storytelling through this medium, the answer is – Everything! Read on to know why it’s the best.

Immersion – This is the biggest advantage of virtual reality storytelling. It promises an experience like no other. It gives viewers and participants the feeling of actually being there physically. Distance and time simply don’t matter and you can travel wherever you want, just like that, whenever you want to. You cannot see anything else, and there are virtually zero distractions. You can change the angle and decide what you want to view. What you experience is so extraordinary that it will take a while for you to regain your senses and come back to reality.

Sense of presence – That’s what we are always seeking when we watch a film or a documentary. The success of the film or VR journalism is in drawing you into the content in a manner that you feel you are actually a part of it. While screenplays and scripts have definitely been huge contributing factors, virtual reality helps them take the experience to a whole new level. You are there in body and spirit, soaking in the views and seeing things with the same perspective as the character in the story. You are no longer going to imagine things or wonder what was in there or what was he thinking when he saw that. Since you are going to see the same things as the character, you will pretty much feel the same things too and relate with the thoughts and actions of the character. Now that’s a huge plus considering that’s what filmmakers have been striving to achieve for so long. The choice of ‘active participation’ over ‘passive watching’ has made VR a sure winner and a great tool and medium for storytelling.

Empathy – Understanding someone’s feelings is important. Virtual reality helps you attain that with compassion. You are literally stepping into someone’s shoes and the experience can be way different than you imagined. Due to difference in gender, race, religion, economic class or a completely unfamiliar geographical location, you are going to experience things you had no idea about and yet feel them earnestly. As such, there is little or no room for imagination as you actually see and feel what’s happening around. It therefore becomes easier for filmmakers to give you a first-hand experience through point of view and perspective. While point of view refers to the character or narrator who is telling the story, the latter refers to the manner in which the story is presented and told. So if you are watching something that involves an attacker and a victim, you will be able to see things from the point of view of both these characters.