VR Short Lesson 4 - Designing VR experiences

VR Short Lesson 4: Designing VR experiences

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How would you tell a story in VR?

The same story is told differently in each media, both its content and its intensity. The story of Batman can be experienced through books, comics, movies, videogames and who knows if also in theatre. And we experience it differently each time because each media has its own way of telling.

In VR, this is even most pronounced. The distinction between spectator and actor tends to zero. The role of the VR user is “active” in terms of interaction, opposing to “passive” roles assumed in classic narrative media. Now you are spectator and narrator. The story depends on you and is happening because you are there.

	Cinema	Literature	Theatre	Virtual Reality
Narrative representation	Visual	Mental	Visual	Visual
Presence	Not physical	Not physical	Physical	Immersive
Interaction	No	No	No	Yes

In cinema, the camera is under author’s control, but in VR the camera is under user’s control. What does this mean from author’s point of view? The standard rules of storytelling are no longer valid!

The complete scenario has 360º, that is clear. But as viewers, we can’t pay attention to all spaces at the same time. If we are watching a comedy, the main action should take place in a master scenario, avoiding have to move our head all the time form left to right, front to rear to follow the argument. Lateral secondary scenarios are being used to introduce new actors/characters, while rear scenario is used for minor actions.

These best practices apply for narrative stories, not for VR emotional experiences. In this kind of videos, action takes place at all scenarios at the same time, encouraging the viewer to pay attention to whatever he or she may prefer. Most likely, several views will be needed to enjoy the whole experience!

Felix and Paul Studios are considered by many the best cinematic VR directors. Check how they use both techniques in of the most famous 360º videos. VR features available only in Chrome or Firefox!

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These are only few brushstrokes about designing VR experiences, depending on what authors want to show, requirements and style change drastically. We will go further in future lessons, so stay tuned!