Investors.com did a quick write-up of the VR-focused panel that I was on at this year’s CES:
While the Harry Potter films were about watching a boy wizard grow up, a VR game of the same concept would have to be about the experience of actually being a wizard, said Andy Cochrane, director of interactive and new media and special projects lead at Mirada.
“It’s not 360 video. That’s not VR,” Cochrane said. “The stories we’re going to be able to tell to mass audiences and the experiences we’re going to be able to create are going to get bigger and better and more immersive and involving.”
The Drum was also at the session:
However, to take such a giant leap movie makers need to let go of some of the traditional story conventions that are baked in a very linear, static dynamic with the viewer. It’s easier said than done when you’ve been making movies a certain way for decades, which is why companies like Mirada are increasingly being brought in to help break down those barriers.
“The thinking of the creative will change,” assured Andy Cochrane, director of interactive and new media at Mirada, founded by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.
“We’re not talking about telling stories anymore,” Cochrane added. “We’re creating experiences that they can enjoy. There are a lot of TV a cinematic structures that are currently failing in VR. We need to change the way everyone is thinking about this stuff because 360 video is not VR.”
And HomeMedia Magazine did an overview of the panel too:
Panelists mulled the promise of virtual reality entertainment at a Digital Hollywood panel Jan. 6 at the Consumer Electronics Show.
They discussed both the commercial and artistic promise of VR during a session called “Virtual Reality — Hollywood Does Cutting Edge.”
When the viewer has control over where to look (and perhaps what to do and where to move), how does the creative team direct the story?
Panelists said that question has yet to be answered. It’s possible the ultimate product is a hybrid of linear and VR segments, where certain portions of the entertainment content are linear storytelling while others, perhaps action sequences, immerse the viewer in virtual reality.
Medium also quoted The Drum’s coverage of this panel in an article about Hollywood’s rapid acceptance of VR.