Alejandro G. Iñárritu: CARNE Y ARENA Review
Alejandro G. Iñárritu VR Installation at The 70th Festival De Cannes is not just VR, it is a whole world of “Virtually present, Physically Invisible”.
It would be right to say, that VR is a part of Cannes Film Festival. The question is what part and what would be the development of this trend.
Most of the VR creators have their “home” — NEXT, the first virtual reality film market with all you need in one place: VR Theatre and VR Library with over 70 VR/360 films, as well as STAY-IN stations with interactive VR; booths and tables to meet with distributors, festivals, production companies; presentation zone with great panels, speakers and important subjects to discuss.
And while we are trying to figure out what’s happening with VR Market, few lucky one could get into the “Headliner” of the VR in Cannes — “CARNE Y ARENA” VR Installation by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki.
There were several reviews from big film/tv media (Variety, Deadline, Indiewire as an example), but there are still few things might be found from the perspective of people involved in VR and Cinema. And in some of the reviews I read I see many small details missing from the VR perspective.
I could not be more grateful to the festival and the organisers of the exhibition to be allowed to experience it. As a programmer of VR Film Festivals in Russia and Sweden as well as content producer and author of this blog, I’ve been asked so many times “What’s this? Is it cinema? Is it 360? Is it VR?” by colleagues and journalists.
So know I can answer.
It is a VR Installation where VR is a major part of the experience, but it is the time you spend before and after experience is what makes this work unique.
First of all, it’s not in the main venues of the festival. You’re taken by the car to the airplane hangar, where you’re met and prepared for the experience. Yes, you could not do photos inside the installation, but there are things I can share from the outside of it.
And one of the first things you explore — is the message from the creator:
While waiting for your turn, you can see the model of the exhibition, sponsored by Fondazione Prada. Actually, everyone would be able to see it in Milano, just check the web site of the Prada Foundation — http://www.fondazioneprada.org/project/carne-y-arena/
I’ve been accompanied by Pierre Zandrowicz, amazing VR creators behind OKIO Studio and such a brilliant works like “I, Philip” and he was the first to experience it, while I’ve been waiting and listening for the sounds and vibrations coming from the inside of installation.
Then it was my turn to come in. As I’ve told — it is an installation. Every part of it is important. Before I gave my phone I asked if I can make a photo of the “Prologue” of the exhibition — the wall.
I went to the door (on the right of previous photo) and suddenly I found myself in a white waiting room with real shoes left by immigrants between US and Mexican border. Titles on the wall told me to take the shoes and socks off and wait for the alarm signal to tell me I’m ready to come in. And you wait — and this time is already put you in the right mood.
Then you go inside, start to feel the send and move towards assistants on another side of the pavilion. They help you to take the backpack and the headset. Actually, I forgot to check what type of headset it was and in other articles I’ve seen “Oculus Rift” being mentioned, but I didn’t have time to check. But probably it is with additional sensors on it.
The reason is that you are entering big low light pavilion where you can hardly see something other than sand and black walls. However, I’ve noticed that it is still connected by wire (a really long one, which comes from the top center of the pavilion).
That’s quite funny that I don’t remember the technical details I’ve been interested in, as after watching the piece and experiencing the whole installation you just forget about everything except of the message.
But for now I would assume that backpack is just for the vibration as the quality of the experience developed by ILMxLAB and Legendary Films would not be proceed by any “backpack laptop” system.
VR FILM ITSELF is a Real Time Render. Not a 360 video, not a 360 3D. CG. But that it CG you haven’t seen before. It uses motion capture from the actors (mentioning of it might be found on Deadline) and a really nice work with the low light, which makes things look not so “plastic”.
Also, as it is not a “room scale” any more, but rather “hangar scale”, you can walk around and come close to protagonists (immigrants or officers/”coyotes”) watch the highest level of real-time CG of their skin.
The story happens during late evening and I could assume that this part of work was supervised by Emmanuel Lubezki quite strongly, as it was really close to his style of cinematography — low light, natural, great skin tone and shadows.
There are no controllers, you don’t actually interact with the protagonists, but you can see your own shadow (no body though) and that’s where the title “Flesh and Sand” (literally translated) start to make sense. My colleagues has already spoiled the content, so there is no secret: when you are getting close to the group of immigrants (who are passing near you) and try to look inside the body of the closest person, suddenly you see a close-up of the beating heart. You’re trying to “get into the body” of other people around — and you see the same beating heart again. Also, some wind effects is used for the better immersion and this was the right place to use it for sure.
As we might expect, patrol is nearby, screams, vibrations, helicopter — everything is so loud and put you in the stress as you don’t know if you are one of the protagonists as well or not, would they try to catch you or not, should you run or not. Some magical things happening during the rest of the piece — something what could not happen in reality but really catch your attention in VR — few “out of the reality” objects appearing around the characters as if it is normal.
Of course, the group is arrested. Someone is trying to run. Handcuffs, screams, helicopter. You see how people are going to the police car but then something happens. Officers start to scream and ask somebody to stop or they would shoot. You’re looking around but see no one. You’re looking into the bodies of officers and victims and see their hears beating fast with no difference between them. And then you look in their face and it’s you who are they looking for and ready to shoot to.
I assume, some might have noticed the influence or concept similarity with the works by Nonny De La Pena. Well, yes. But the quality, scale and creative execution of this piece is far above anything I’ve seen so far.
The VR part is over. You’re saying “thanks” to the assistants and walk out of the room, thinking that everything is over. But actually you’re getting into the gallery with the square high quality video portraits of real people, whose stories were told in VR piece, as well as their background stories.
You walk through this gallery and sees pieces of forgotten things (some of them you’ve actually seen in VR piece) — children suitcase, jacket…
Then you can take your shoes and socks from the locker and wait for another alarm signal to tell you, that you can go out.
As I’ve told — time before and after VR piece is as important as a piece itself.
Positional tracking and the ability to walk “the long distances” (5–6 metres for sure) makes you feel there are no borders and this canvas, as well as venue, is endless.
And, of course, you get the message of one heart for all clearly — interesting to know if your own heart worked with the same heart beat as you’ve seen.
Then you’re back to Cannes, to the Film Festival, with this new experience one of the most sophisticated piece of creative and technical work you’ve seen so far. I hope that as the experience would be available for public after the festival, there would be more information about the way it was produced and organised. But for the moment we should thank the team behind the project for making a great present for the whole VR community.
Finally, almost everyone is writing about VR and in this case this VR is a right piece to introduce the technology and creative tools to the masses.
