Abstract
Cinematic virtual reality (CVR) is an emerging medium that has been utilised to offer a range of immersive experiences to the viewer. This chapter will explore the challenges associated with the development of short narratives in the CVR format, with a focus on three projects that were produced in Perth, Western Australia in 2019 as case studies. The chapter will argue that, in the development phase, the challenges that these projects presented for their creators are emblematic of broader industry challenges for the development of CVR projects. An analysis of practitioner interviews and screenwriting documents will demonstrate that the emerging nature of the medium leads to uncertainty around the presentation of screenplays, related development documents and other conceptual material, creating opportunities for novel approaches by writers and developers. Furthermore, the 360-degree or 180-degree format calls for a consideration of the viewer’s positioning in regards to story world and narrative material.
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Notes
- 1.
Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, 2014; The Revenant, 2016) launched his VR work Carne Y Arena (Flesh and Sand) at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in 2017. In the same year Ridley Scott produced a 360-degree video to promote Alien: Covenant (2017) and Kathryn Bigalow made the VR documentary short The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes in conjunction with National Geographic.
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Dooley, K. (2021). Crafting Immersive Experiences: A Case Study of the Development of Three Short Narrative Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR) Projects. In: Taylor, S., Batty, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Script Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82234-7_34
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