Software
360 VR Film
Company
Felix and Paul Studios
Timing
15 – 20 minutes, it felt like the perfect amount of time. I lost track of it.
Narration
This is narrated by Barak Obama, you see him in the space like before, but this time you are a bystander. The park ranger also speaks with Obama at one point and you hear their conversation.
Subtitles
There are no subtitles, the only text is at the end and it is on a black background with no depth. It is easy to perceive, however the sharp black white creates a glow/rays which are a bit odd.
Story Arch
It is told as a story, not a traditional one, but rather as if it were a documentary about the parks and why Barak and the American people should treasure them. It doesn’t go into details about the trees, animals, etc., but rather how they are beautiful, large scale and historic.
Emily also liked the scenes when all the people who are in the background and camera men are present. You feel like that it isn’t so much rehearsed, but what actually goes into the prep for this. It’s nice, because you feel like it isn’t so much a story told for you, but also you are a part of the scene with this “behind the scene” view.
Cinematography
It is all shot in 360, my favourite scene is a canoe ride in the middle, it goes slowly, but I don’t feel ill at all. The sound of the gentle water and birds are incredibly important. It is lovely, I feel like I have an idea of what the experience is like. At times we see Obama speak with people, other times we are alone at the top of a mountain or underneath a glacier. The mix of environmental scenes to people scenes are well balanced and choreographed. Again, the goal is not to replace the forest, but to encourage families to travel there and experience it in person. The storytelling behind and the visuals help spark one’s interest in the majestic scenery, but because we don’t move through the space, we don’t have an idea of what it would be like to hike in person.
The scenes are sometimes sped up to show the sun’s movement, sky passing and to animate the space a bit more. It is not chaotic, but enjoyable and the scenes are looking far away (not a river).
Framing
It is all full shots, with plenty of viewing space. Many viewpoint opportunities and a few times uses symmetry for the people scenes. You are the height of a man in the scene. The viewpoint is mostly from a standing position.
Color Palette
It is in full colour, like the nature around it.
Composition
The view is not really symmetrical, but nice viewpoints in nature. During the scenes with people Obama is usually in the centre and people are to the right of him. During the dialogue, Obama and the ranger split the view in two parts that are symmetrical.
Point of View
The user is a bystander in the park, a part of the back scenes. For the canoe ride, you feel like you are in the canoe manned by the ranger, it is quiet and peaceful. The story is told to you, but you are not a character in the story arch.
Looking Around
The story happens directly in front for the most part, but with the many viewpoints, you are naturally going to look around and see the environment.
Storytelling
It was a linear story, no opportunity to fast forward, rewind or change your pace/location in the story. This was ok, I was not bothered by the lack of interaction.
We only saw one view of each scene, the switches faded to/from black
Sound
Sound played a key role in the experience. The soundtrack music began with the opening credits and the sound effects (water, wind, kids) all helped to make it much more immersive.
EEL VR Storytelling Research 