Steven Spielberg was quite pessimistic on VR and its effect on the entertainment industry, earlier this week. According to him it gives a lot of freedom to viewer to view the story from the point of their choice and not by the direction of the storytellers. So, if we dig deeper into this, he is right at some point VR really makes us forget about the story and make us exist in the current moment of the story being depicted. His views actually changed when he got to try the virtual reality by himself when a stranger passed his Google cardboard to him in a restaurant. When he tried them, he found himself standing in an ancient Egyptian burial room. Though visuals were not good, but he felt present. He was overwhelmed by the experience and viewed it as the future of storytelling.
VR allows us to experience the narrative along with the protagonist, inside a story. But, he fears that the traditional structure of Film is becoming lost as VR offers an experience which is entirely separate from cinema.
VR probably will tell a story in a more subtle and immersive story like watching Dante’s expedition of hell with Virgil and scanning the faces and the body language of the sinners and noticing the clues for the undertones of the punishments. VR would combine the attributes of video games, theater and film to create a spellbound experience.
Everyone was quite impressed with James Cameron’s Avatar and kept paying those few extra dollars with an overpriced pair of glasses who’s only good use was watching Avatar only and nothing else. But, this time these overpriced glasses will transfer us to another world in which we will experience the beach waves, the lighthouse, crabs walking on stones and sand as it depending upon where you are looking.
But, the demand for flat screens and books will remain constant as avid book lovers would still be reading them.
