Seeing Through New Eyes: Evolving VR Technology
Melamed, Erica – Future Cinema Assignment 1 – Due Sept 23 2015
Seeing Through New Eyes: Evolving VR Technology
Erica Melamed (211575545)
CMCT 6507/FILM 6245
Professor Caitlin Fisher
Assignment 1: Short Screens Paper
Due: September 23rd 2015
Following the rise of individual cinema screening, future technology will see this trend expand exponentially. The latest virtual reality (VR) gadgets are clunky, limited in their mobility, and have to be lifted to suspend the experience. Evolving contemporary VR technology from goggles to contact lenses accompanied with a noise cancelling Bluetooth headset will resolve some of the drawbacks of the current technology.
Switching from goggles to contact lenses will remove the hindrance of weight. The Bluetooth headset to accompany the contact lenses will prevent external noises from infiltrating the virtual reality created. The lenses and headset can be turned off and on from a button on the left headset. Sensors on the right headset will allow for volume control as well as scrolling through content. Returning to the left headset, the power button will support the mobility of the technology. For example, while taking a plane ride or another example of extended travel, one can simply temporarily turn off the headset and contacts to check the remaining duration of their travel.
The filming necessary for this technology would involve a first person perspective. This would allow for the viewer to feel a part of the film being viewed, while not interrupting the desired plot of the narrative. Based on this perspective, lighting and cameras would have to either be hidden in shrubbery or areas which could be hidden from view.
Beyond the headset and contact lenses, an accompanying application for mobile devices will allow for the screening of narratives beyond mere virtual reality. An accompanying application will allow for the viewer to choose the next steps of the narrative being told. In this way, one can begin to see the possibilities of interactive content through this technology. The filming necessary for this format would involve a camera similar to that of Google’s 360 degree camera. The 360 degree camera would ensure the immersion of the viewer into the technology, where they are no longer a passive viewer but an active agent in the course of the narrative. The storylines of the content will have to be adjustable to that of the viewer’s choices. As there would be little narrative if there was no direction, prompts will appear to allow for some direction in the narrative.
While the technology allows for individual viewing or interaction, there will be opportunities for joint viewing. The accompanying application would include a feature which would allow different users of the technology to view the same content at the same time. By extension, if one was to pause the film being viewed on one of the devices, the film being played for the accompanying individual would remain paused until the first person resumes the content.
The direction of this technology echoes that of current technology, only extended. With the described extensions, cinema viewing would no longer leave its audience with peripheral vision to distract them from the narrative being told. Furthermore, the lenses will allow for the viewer to feel immersed in the narratives put forward. This technology will serve the interests of individual viewing, joint viewing, as well as interactive content.