The Oscars go 360
“There has been a mistake. Moonlight is the winner.”
The words echoed around the globe as one of the biggest gaffes in television history instantly became the hottest topic of conversation. Mistakenly handed the envelope for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Faye Dunaway announced that La La Land was the winner of the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. Moments later, the cast and crew’s on-stage celebration was cut short when host Jimmy Kimmel and presenter Warren Beatty confirmed that there had been a mix-up. Moonlight was the actual winner.
Around the world, jaws dropped and people were glued to the edges of their seats. However, imagine if at that moment you weren’t on your couch or at your friend’s house. Instead, imagine if you were sitting in the audience with the stars themselves — Denzel, Meryl, The Rock, and… Matt Damon — and experiencing that shocking twist “in person.”
An Academy Awards virtual reality experience is an untapped market. Partnerships could be formed with Cineplex, where local theatres sell tickets to live broadcasts of the Oscars. Upon purchasing and reserving your seats in an AVX-like arrangement, moviegoers could be handed a pair of virtual reality goggles to wear during the show. Putting them on, they would be instantly transported to Hollywood, sitting amongst the stars in the audience. They would be able to look around in 360-degree high definition through a stationary camera planted front row at the actual event. It would be so realistic that perhaps you could catch one of the many candy bags parachuting from the ceiling!
As an immersive experience, this idea would give moviegoers a rare glimpse into the sights and sounds of the most popular award show of the year, from the actual audience’s point of view. This sense of escapism would allow you to live the life of a celebrity for just one night. Some music festivals such as Coachella are already taking advantage of the technology and emerging market and streaming live 360-degree performances from both the artists’ perspectives on stage, as well as the audience’s. Its inclusive; for people unable to attend festivals due to financial or mobility issues, they can feel as if they’re really there. Similarly, in an era where people are abandoning traditional cable television, creating 360-degree movie theatre broadcasts like these would be tremendously exciting. From my own experiences as a young wrestling fanatic without access to pay-per-view at home, I loved when my father would take me to see live screenings of WWE events at the local Cinexplex. People would wear costumes, cheer, boo, and enjoy a unique bond forged from an exclusive experience.
The immersive experience could not just stop with a 360-degree broadcast. The theatres could make entire events out of the night. People could dress for the occasion and then have fashion contests for the pre-show, their own red carpet, and mobile trivia competitions similar to Cineplex’s Timeplay app. The ultimate result would be a transmedia experience that would be fun, creative, and a logical marketing tie-in. After all, who wouldn’t have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that Oscar mishap?
Julian Muia
