VR is battling for legitimacy in the public eye.
Most people feel like their minds are blown when they demo a Virtual Reality experience for the first time. However, creators hope it can be seen as useful, everyday and ordinary soon, instead of “trippy” or sensationalized. Most importantly, they hope that VR won’t be seen as a replacement to television or film, but a unique way to tell and view a story.
Kevin Mack of Shape Space VR says early film wasn’t called the future of books or radio, so why does VR have this connotation for cinema? What is needed for it to achieve its own idiomatic identity? And finally, is this idea of “replacement” one of the reasons people are so resistant to the upcoming change that is immersive entertainment?
What’s currently standing in VR’s way?
1. Accessibility & adoption of VR headsets into homes
Sam Wickert of SoKrispyMedia says Entertainment Marketing like The VOID’s India Jones and Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experiences are introducing more people to the fun of VR. The ability to wear a high-end headset and experience a fun escape for 30 minutes can be used successfully to market an upcoming film, like Star Wars. Sam sees a lot of enterprise application use for VR in particular.
However, Wickert asks you take into account that you’re asking a good bit from someone who already has a powerful smartphone in their pocket. Why should they be willing to put this device on their head, to hide away in isolation from others?
“There has to be a big reward to jump into a headset.” — Sam Wickert
Marketing with VR can be difficult. One of the hardest things with all forms of entertainment is getting people’s time for more than 30 minutes. It’s hard to get people to want to be in VR headsets for that long, especially when they’re away from the comfort of their own couch at home.
2. Vicious Cycle
Virtual Reality doesn’t have the budget to generate great content at the moment. No content means no audiences to generate revenue for more and better content, and so the cycle continues.
“It’s a classic chicken and the egg problem,” Says Jenn Duong, co-founder of Women in Virtual Reality. There’s not enough hardware out there for consumers, and therefore companies are having a hard time justifying budgets that were there three years ago. On the content side, it’s hard to create without proper financial support, and the quality of content declines because creators can’t afford the quality needed to draw in large audiences.
3. Misunderstanding of VR as a Tool
“You’re not building a story, you’re building a world for people to experience.” — Jenn Duong
Many traditional filmmakers try to shove a story that would work much better as a “flattie” into VR. Ask yourself, why are you choosing to use VR specifically to showcase this content? Would you have enjoyed it more as a flat movie? In VR, you should be compelled to explore and look around, as the world and environment is a integral part of the story.
Pacing is also very different in VR. Things that work well in a headset might be too boring or slow paced for 2D, and vice versa. The frequent cuts and shots jumping around in film might be disorienting enough in VR to cause motion sickness.
4. The Hype Cycle and Trough of Disillusionment
Some say we are currently in the “Trough of Disillusionment” with VR. What is holding it back from the next phase, the Slope of Enlightenment?
“There must be a maturing in the art form.” — Josh Ludmir of The Ark VR
Since the medium is relatively new and largely experimental, even the best creators are still learning how to unlock its full potential. Eric Hanson suggests that creators who have mastered a particular take in VR might start to emerge, like a ‘VR Spielberg’ with a distinct style. “We have all the tools we need, but who will step up and be the singular talent?”
Jenn Duong disagrees. “We spent the first few years experimenting with pipelines, technicalities, and pushing the boundaries. When it comes to first talent, is it important for us to identify that right now?” She asks.
Creators still haven’t fully mastered the storytelling in the medium, therefore it doesn’t matter who that first talent is, because creators are still in a stage where collaboration is key.
“This industry is so collaborative that we’re all learning from each other.” — Jenn Duong
