Immersive Storytelling
Throughout the history of humanity, storytelling has always been a profound and valuable form of human expression. Telling stories is a powerful way to learn about the world around us, and to learn about ourselves.
In the ancient world, storytelling was used as a means of passing down a sense of identity and significance of family and tribe. Often stories told in mythic tales and parables would be used to teach wisdom and life lessons.
Stories don’t simply convey information, they convey meaning. They bring a sense of significance to the world around us.
With the advent of the printing press, stories were suddenly packaged in books for mass distribution. This became the dominant medium of storytelling for many centuries to come.
In the 20th Century, stories came alive through film, television, and movies. The moving picture, along with the creative use of editing and special effects, provided a new engaging form of storytelling.
Today’s Digital Storytelling
With the digital revolution, storytelling found its way in varied and multiple forms of media distribution. Today we watch videos (stories) in all shapes and sizes, personalized and packaged to our preference.
Stories are not just in the domain of film artists or professionals, but everyone is a storyteller. Therefore, social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook serve as user-generated micro storytelling platforms. We create and share the stories we want to tell of ourselves.
In the digital world, we consume stories (Netflix, Disney, Hulu, etc…) we create stories (smartphones, handheld devices), and we share stories (Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, etc…).
Meanwhile, in the gaming world, users participate as avatars in storied adventures. Gaming has created a whole new way of participatory active engagement in stories where players interact in virtual worlds.
The Dawn of Immersive Stories
In 1895, the first audiences to see “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” screamed at the sight of a train heading directly at them on a big screen. It was the dawn of the 2D motion picture.
Filmmakers at the time could only begin to imagine the potential of this new form of storytelling in cinema. There was no sound, there was no color, there were no special effects, the format evolved and matured, and today we have the epic experience that is a Marvel movie.
Yet, we are at the beginning of another era of storytelling. A virtual interactive immersive and engaging experience of stories.
“Immersive storytelling can be defined as a technique that uses the latest technologies to create a compelling sense of presence. It gives the audience the feeling of “being there.” It’s a unique but impactful way of blending reality with fiction.”
Anyone who puts on a VR helmet for the first time can begin to imagine the potential of immersive stories. But this will require rethinking how we tell stories. Here are some potential use cases:
- Passive observer
Imagine if you will, that you are watching The GodFather movie, but you are not just watching it on a flat screen, you are in it. You are at the Corleone Family Wedding, as people dance and walk around you.
Like a ghost, you are a passive observer as the story unfolds around you. - Active guided participant
In this perspective, you as a participant can engage in the story, but there is still a guided aspect to the storyline. While you may be able to influence the story in different directions, it is still controlled. somewhat like Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch.’ - Active Participant
This will be an interesting new model, but the idea is that you as an active participant will be creating and co-creating the story as you engage with others. There will be some kind of foundational storyline and potentially a goal, but the stories themselves will be user-generated.
Where Are We Today?
We are living in the initial discovery phase of this new era, and it is an exciting time of exploration. The following are just a few examples of immersive stories being explored today:
Cinema VR
Cinema VR is the notion that watching movies is something people want to do together, in a social setting with friends or in public. So companies like CineVR, Bigscreen, and CMoar VR are recreating movie theater experiences in VR, live events you can attend via your avatar.
While VR is typically experienced from your home, some movie theaters include VR rooms providing VR gear along and room atmosphere.
In 2015, the first European Virtual Reality (VR) Cinema opened in Amsterdam, followed by several other locations around Europe.
It remains to be seen if movie theater Cinema VR will be successful, IMAX VR explored this idea in 2016 but decided to shut down its VR operations in 2018 due to low turnout. Cinemark currently has several locations in the US that are exploring VR experiences.
Travel VR
One of the more common VR experiences is the ability to explore scenic locations around the world. National Geographic uses 360-degree videos and virtual reality to create travel-guided documentaries.
Empathy and VR
One of the more powerful aspects of VR is that it allows for first-person experiences. A project is called “Our America.” is a virtual reality game that puts players in the shoes of a Black father and son and their experiences of racism throughout the day.
Another example of a project that inspires empathy as well as raising support for a cause, is a United Nations film titled “Clouds Over Sidra” which is an engaging story of a 12-year-old girl living at a refugee camp during the Syrian conflict. The audience is given a glimpse into the life in the camp.
Theater VR
Unlike cinema VR, Theater VR puts you onstage while the drama is happening around you. It is an immersive story experience with a unique perspective.
Personally, I’ve found that some of the ‘on stage’ VR plays and music showcases in Oculus to be really well-done with cutting-edge VR creativity. Definitely some of my favorite VR experiences.
Gaming VR
Gaming has been at the forefront of active-participant stories for a while now, but Gaming in VR takes the experience of role-playing to new heights. There are so many examples of great VR games, but 2 that have been getting a lot of attention are Half-Life: Alyx and Moss.
Alyx, the daughter of scientist Eli Vance lives in a world that is overtaken by an alien race. The game has a rich storyline, as you solve puzzles, fight aliens, and interact with your world.
Moss is primarily a third-person VR game, where a mouse named Quill, awakens the ancient power of a Glass Relic. Your job is to guide Quill through puzzles and dangerous environments.
In Conclusion
We are at the beginning of a new era of Storytelling, a creative explosion of new forms of engagement and experiences. The stories we tell will shape the future of culture, education, economies, communication, and society. Reality will be influenced by the art of immersive stories.
