Software
Unity
Company
BBC Media Applications Technologies Ltd
Timing
Film length 15- 20 minutes
Narration length: about the same.
It felt a bit too long, I was not bored, but would have been pleased if it was a bit shorter.
Narration
Narration is a combination of a lady (not a part of the setting, let’s call her Clara), the historic tapes of which the story centre around and other characters
Subtitles
No subtitles, the voice is clear with accents and, again it is told like a story, so you perceive the information.
Story Arch
It is a historical retelling, with 1st person recollection based on the tapes made in 1978, mixed with the over narration of Clara. The 1st person telling comes across clearly as a story like in a novel.
Cinematography
It happens in a fragmented triangulated world, where you start in his living room, a fragmented lair which transforms into different scenes, all highly stylised and in fux. It has a very sketchy vectorised look to it. The environments and characters are constantly having the triangles shift, shape and move, so as to keep the fragmented look alive. It’s very beautiful and it works for the medium, especially when it shows people who we know are only fragments in the story and you don’t focus on how well they look like people or not. The fire is also well represented with orange triangles and perhaps it is this style which drives the cohesiveness of the overall story, including old footage.
What I find most interesting is that each time it shows real images, black and white and very different to the visual of the universe. These images float above the main narrator, with fragmented, triangulated edges and are also spliced into 3d compositions, which are highly effective both in the composition making and the telling of the story in the form of a collage. It remains true to the original work/images yet makes them more active in the setting. Simple explosions a tirnagles, and particles help active and give a ribbon to the story.
There are fadeouts, camera closing, eyelid openings, whiteouts, etc. At times the characters who are spliced out of the images are turned to silhouettes to help tell the store more and become a part of the graphic universe
Another huge feature is the slowing down of movement. Soldiers appear to be running in space, but move incredibly slow that you sometimes don’t register their movement (other than the fragmentation). The sound, however remains present and in time, so the urgency is conveyed with the sound effects alone, along with the sharp angles of the triangles.
The dust was very effective in perspective of space.
Framing
Again, it is mostly full shots, although this time in several scenes your point of view changes slightly. Positioning is mostly taken to full scale. You are probably the height of a person, you are not brought up in scale (like Alice in Wonderland)
For each scene, the point of view changes. It is always located in a dynamic place that plays a purpose in the storytelling.
High quality of details: Sometimes you can see your shadow, on the door on the fire scene. Hidden Easter eggs.
Scale
Done in 1 : 1, you are with the environment and have a sense of size there.
Color Palette
The color palette is selective in the world that they build of browns, purples, light blues and oranges. It has a very illustrative look without the dark outlines. All additional images/footage are in black and white, no other new colors are introduced or real 3d rendered forms, other than the tape you start with (which is then triangulated).
Composition
Symmetry doesn’t play a huge role, each scene is shown like an illustrator would create a scene in a book. There is a bit of forced perspective for some environments. The transition of some scenes to another is a fragmentation of the world.
Point of View
User is a Bystander when in the space with the narrator and at times becomes the protagonist. You see the gun the narrator talks about and places by your side. It is clear you are in the eyes of the protagonist, yet also clear that you are a bystander in that discovery.
Looking Around
Most of the story happens directly in front of the user, at times, you look 180 degrees, but never behind.
Storytelling
This is a fixed linear story. You cannot fast forward or rewind, so it is a bit rigid. You also have no perception of how long it will be so it is hard to gauge whether or not you have seen it or even if you want to continue watching it.
UI Intro
Well done 2D logo and UI for introduction. To be seated, etc. ending titles, typography at the end.
Sound
Sound played a key role in the experience. The soundtrack music began with the opening credits and the sound effects (explosion, door knocking, etc.) all helped to make it much more immersive.
Takeaways
Start strong, with a metaphor and set the experience up for the rest, if you are
EEL VR Storytelling Research 