Virtual reality technology - the new craze of global filmmaking

After 3D, Virtual Reality technology is making the world's film community excited to experience the feeling of living with the character inside the movie.

At the Venice Film Festival in September, the 40-minute film Jesus VR: The Story of Christ became the center of attention. The film was called by Guardian critic Peter Bradshawis a major breakthrough as the first work to be shown in virtual reality format.Previously in Cannes in May,Madagascar director Eric Darnell premieres 6-minute short filmInvasion!,apply this technologyand affirms that this is a completely new cinematic language.Early summer, a movie theater applied technologyThe first virtual reality studio opened in Toronto, Canada under the nameVivid.Virtual reality technology is the new craze in the world cinema.

Virtual reality is a simulated environment created by a computer. When a movie uses this technology, the viewer needs to wear a pair of glasses to enjoy the movie. With the help of the glasses, the audience feels like they are actually inside the movie and can rotate in all directions (360 degrees) to follow the characters and plot developments. When the viewer turns left or right, the scene also moves in the corresponding direction.

Viewers wearing virtual reality glasses step inside the frame and "live" with the work.

Virtual reality technology promises to bring a completely new cinematic experience.Currently, with traditional films, the audience can only watch from the perspective prescribed by the director. The 3D format creates depth, IMAX brings a large screen that envelops the viewer, but the image is still "fixed".

With virtual reality, audiences can rotate in different directions and choose their own perspective. For example, when the Avengers movie was shown in virtual reality,Viewers will be able to choose which member of the superhero team they like to watch in the same battle. The majestic world of Pandora is seen from a completely new angle if the versionAvatar2009 applied new technology. Each viewing will be a special experience, and between two different viewers will also be two separate experiences.

Chris Milk - founder of VRSE - emphasizes the emotional impact of virtual reality. Audience interaction with simulated images is much higher than traditional style. In the movieEvolution of VerseMr. Milk’s film, viewers approach a speeding train and some scream. “You can’t make people’s guts churn in a traditional film. We really play with that. We make you feel your body is connected to the emotion of a character,” Milk said.

Mr. Gary Tam - theater ownerVivid -asserts that virtual reality technology also helps save on travel costs. If you can't afford to go to a museum in France or go whale-watching, you can absolutely experience this with virtual reality glasses. With movies, they will bring unique experiences such as going into space or witnessing sea monsters come to life.

However, in the long term, experts believe that virtual reality technology is unlikely to become the future of cinema.

The bigger obstacle is that virtual reality is completely changing the way we tell stories. “Digital films are just a technological change; they don’t change how we tell stories, they change how we edit,” says visual effects expert David Feuillatre. “With virtual reality, we don’t know how to tell stories anymore. We’re reinventing everything.” In fact, no virtual reality film has ever had a story as complex and multi-dimensional as a film. Even the recent sensationJesus VR: The Story of ChristIt is just a series of films about God's journey.

In traditional cinema, the director directs attention through perspective, framing, and lighting. When watching in virtual reality, viewers can miss important details if they pay too much attention to other details. If they were only given a close-up view of Iron Man, they might not have noticed that Captain America had just been shot and seriously injured in Avengers.In addition, editing has a special meaning in cinema. In the classic scene of the movie where the psychopath kills people in the bathroomPsycho, Alfred Hitchcock uses a calculated rotating camera technique to instill fear and psychological depth. If the film is watched using virtual reality technology, the audience will not see the correct order and angle of this camera, and then cannot fully perceive the director's intention.

"Jesus VR: The Story of Christ" is a virtual reality film that attracts attention in Venice.

Agree withDavid FeuillatreSteven Spielberg fears that virtual reality is a “dangerous” medium because viewers may not follow the narrator’s direction. “I hope it doesn’t abandon the story by immersing the viewer in a world where we can look around and decide for ourselves what to see,” the 69-year-old director told the Telegraph.

Additionally, some objections to virtual reality technology revolve around cost and cinematography.Currently, the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset costs up to $600, not to mention the $1,000 or so for a compatible computer. The headset is also quite heavy to wear for two hours.

According to VNE