VIRTUAL REALITY
“It’s only a matter of time before we start using VR headsets for things like watching Netflix movies, or 360 videos on social media. It will mean that anyone with a VR headset would have access to performances that might otherwise be out of reach.”
Andrea Moneta, theatre educator, 2017
Andrea Moneta, theatre educator, 2017
It is an exciting time for Virtual Reality, or VR. Long used in the aviation world for pilot training, and also a feature in online gaming, VR is increasingly being developed for entertainment purposes. With a VR headset and good internet connection, you can watch pre-race NASCAR events in 360º, catch courtside views of basketball games, watch live music concerts from multiple vantage points, and experience The Circle of Life from Disney’s The Lion King from perspective of an actor on the Broadway stage.
The past year has seen the release of a range of apps, such as LittlStar, CineVR, and Bigscreen, that allows users with VR headsets to watch online content from existing platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. These apps also allow users to watch 360º videos, including an ever-growing list of Broadway-based content.
VR has exciting potential for application to filmed live theatre. Small independent companies have been experimenting with Virtual Reality (VR) theatre since the early 1990s. Practitioners like Andrea Moneta, Brenda Laurel, and Char Davies have created work that immerses the audience in fantastical worlds that the audience can interact with, and in some instances even alter.
As exciting as it is, VR technology is far from perfect. Viewer feedback from live-streamed VR sporting events is that the video often freezes or stops downloading, and users have reported feeling motion sickness while watching games through a headset.
While these technical issues will eventually be solved, an important factor to consider in VR experiences is reported feelings of isolation. The NFL’s William Deng has noted that “If you’re watching something live [in virtual reality] how do we make that experience social like it is with traditional sports viewing and a viewing behavior we know our fans have…”
In addition to helping VR users feel a part of an event, the camera needs to participate in the story-telling. As the NBA has learnt from live-streaming games in VR, it is not enough to stick a camera courtside and allow access to the footage. Users need to be able to switch between different views, and easily follow the action. Of course, nothing will ever beat being right in the room where it happens, breathing the same air and being a part of the experience.
Broadway houses seat on average 1200 people a show. What if those seats could be opened up to millions of people around the world? What if we could put on a headset in our living room, and wander around a Broadway house before “sitting down” and enjoying a show?
The past year has seen the release of a range of apps, such as LittlStar, CineVR, and Bigscreen, that allows users with VR headsets to watch online content from existing platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. These apps also allow users to watch 360º videos, including an ever-growing list of Broadway-based content.
VR has exciting potential for application to filmed live theatre. Small independent companies have been experimenting with Virtual Reality (VR) theatre since the early 1990s. Practitioners like Andrea Moneta, Brenda Laurel, and Char Davies have created work that immerses the audience in fantastical worlds that the audience can interact with, and in some instances even alter.
As exciting as it is, VR technology is far from perfect. Viewer feedback from live-streamed VR sporting events is that the video often freezes or stops downloading, and users have reported feeling motion sickness while watching games through a headset.
While these technical issues will eventually be solved, an important factor to consider in VR experiences is reported feelings of isolation. The NFL’s William Deng has noted that “If you’re watching something live [in virtual reality] how do we make that experience social like it is with traditional sports viewing and a viewing behavior we know our fans have…”
In addition to helping VR users feel a part of an event, the camera needs to participate in the story-telling. As the NBA has learnt from live-streaming games in VR, it is not enough to stick a camera courtside and allow access to the footage. Users need to be able to switch between different views, and easily follow the action. Of course, nothing will ever beat being right in the room where it happens, breathing the same air and being a part of the experience.
Broadway houses seat on average 1200 people a show. What if those seats could be opened up to millions of people around the world? What if we could put on a headset in our living room, and wander around a Broadway house before “sitting down” and enjoying a show?