Henry

Company
Oculus Story Studio

Software
Unreal Engine

Timing
10 minutes

Narration
There is the narrator who is not present. The narrator is a part of an introduction and closing scene that sets up the backstory and the conclusion. After the intro, we are brought into Henry’s home and there is no more narration until the end (we are brought back to the introduction scene). During the main story part, there is no dialogue, only sound effects to show the meanings.

Subtitles
There is no subtitles, only the logo and instructions/credits done in a 3d/2d way.  During this part (at the beginning and end) it is against a black background. 

Story Arch
Socratic method with narration.
The narrator starts by lighting up pictures of the character and describing them. As he sets up the story, we see other pictures of the protagonist (which are slightly animated) one after the other, illuminated so it is easy to perceive what happens next. We are then brought into the house and the story begins. There is a build up, climax and resolution. At the end of the story (the “happily ever after”) we go back to the picture frame scene, except this time we see happy scenes as the narrator explains how the story resolves. This is a bit reminiscent of a fairytale film where we start with the book, it opens, we see some intro pages along with a narration and then at the end of the film, we see the “The End” and the book closes.

Cinematography
Done with UnReal Engine at a very high quality. The entire room is modelled carefully and there is a very beautiful representation of daylight in the space. You are seated by the table and remain there for the whole story. The lighting changes as particle effects tell the story. The intro and closing frame scene feature 3d picture frames which are lit gently with a spotlight.

Framing
The shots were full environments, you have no body, but it is as if you are in the room, seated at the table.

Color Palette
It was in color, hyper-saturated and bright with a warm tint. A bit like a Pixar story.

Composition
The intro and ending showed the frames directly in front of you, a bit scattered. The room that you are in allows you to see a floor above, below and a room to the right. The location is perfect for voyeurism in the home. The action mostly happens directly in front of you. I looked around at the very beginning to get my bearings, but once the story began, I rarely turned around.

Point of View
You are a bystander in this space, the location is fixed and it is one location for the main part of the film, you cannot move. Time does not change, we see one moment in time.

Looking Around
When we arrive in the scene, there is no Henry or anything really happening, so you look around to get your bearings. Once Henry enters the room, all the action mainly happens in front of you.

Storytelling
It was fixed and linear, you could not pause, fast forward or interact. I didn’t mind this, nor the fixed position, I felt that this was the best way to go forward with the story. 

Sound
It was immersive voice over sound, dialogue was mapped and placed in the space which encouraged me to turn and look around. This 360 sound made it highly immersive. All scenes had a music soundtrack underlying the sound effects and voices. They really used sound to the potential and it worked very well to bring forth the emotion. The narrator’s voice was also very clear and brought to mind a “fairytale” story film.