Virtual reality (VR) is ‘the’ new technology that is said will supposedly revolutionise the audio-visual world, in particular the documentary industry. In our latest blog post we explore the impact VR will have on the future of documentary and its current limitations.
The recent release of films like Hong Kong Unrest, a news documentary that tells the story of the 2014 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, break fresh journalistic ground by providing a news narrative whilst using live-motion 360-degree video. Virtual reality means the viewer doesn’t actually just watch a film anymore; they experience it and live in it. This has opened up an entirely new playground for film-makers to create wholly immersive films.
But what is virtual reality and how do we experience it?
Total immersion is what every VR producer is aiming for – making the virtual reality experience so real that we forget the computer, headgear and accessories that we experience the film through, and therefore act exactly as we would in the real world.
VR headsets like Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR replace TV or computer screens. The goal is to create what appears to be a life-size, 3D, virtual space – so whichever way you look, the screen mounted to your face follows your movements. To achieve this, VR technology uses head tracking so that the picture in front of you shifts as you look up, down and side to side or angle your head. Additionally, headphones can be used to increase the sense of immersion. Binaural or 3D audio can be used to tap into VR headsets’ head-tracking technology to take advantage of this. This would give the wearer the sense that sound is coming from behind, to the side of them or in the distance.
What does VR mean for documentaries?
Technology journalist Josh Constine thinks the virtual reality headset will help to elicit empathy in film: “What if, you really could walk a mile in someone’s shoes? Shared perspective breeds understanding. Until now, though, the closest we could come to that old saying was through video documentary. Follow someone around long enough and you get a taste for what their life is like. But it’s still their life. Virtual reality represents a giant leap forward in mankind’s propensity for compassion. You don’t just walk in someone’s shoes, but see the world through their eyes.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest, first film festival to launch Virtual Reality Award
Sheffield Doc/Fest has acknowledged the importance of this growing new medium by creating a new Virtual Reality Award for the 2016 Festival. Mark Atkin, the Curator of Alternate Realities at Sheffield Doc/Fest commented on the ever-growing medium: “Two years ago we had two Virtual Reality projects at Sheffield Doc/Fest. Last year we had nine. This year we have created a Virtual Reality award making Sheffield Doc/Fest the first film festival to announce such an award.”
Home – An Immersive Spacewalk Experience, a film where you can throw yourself into the void 250 miles above Earth and ‘space-walk’, is only one of the 28 virtual reality documentaries that will be showcased at the festival.
Work in progress
Despite breaking down technological barriers that a decade ago would have seemed impossible, this new technology still faces limitations. One of its main issues is motion sickness. As Tom Simonite from the MIT Technology Review puts it: “The Oculus Rift headset launching next year is better at minimizing the lag between the motion of a virtual world and that of your head, which is one cause of motion sickness. But badly chosen design content can make you sick, too. Filmmakers have much to learn about what kind of footage they can get away with.”
James Rogan, Director of Rogan Productions, commented on the current impact of VR on the documentary industry:
“VR is already having an important impact on the audio-visual industry and has opened up the possibility of an entirely new canvas for storytelling in documentary. The possibilities VR offers are undeniable, but so far the technology is still in its infancy. Once the initial technological “teething problems” are dealt with, documentary makers will have a new arena for creating ground-breaking immersive experiences.”
