Cinematic Virtual Reality: A Critical Study of 21st Century Approaches and Practices

With reference to traditional film theory and frameworks drawn from fields such as screenwriting studies and anthropology, this book explores the challenges and opportunities for both practitioners and viewers offered by the immersive 360-degree storytelling form. It focuses on cinematic virtual reality (CVR), a format that involves immersive, high quality, live action or computer-generated imagery (CGI) that can be viewed through head mounted display (HMD) goggles or via online platforms such as YouTube. This format has surged in popularity in recent years due to the release of affordable high quality omnidirectional (360 ) cameras and consumer grade HMDs. The book interrogates four key concepts for this emerging medium: immersion, presence, embodiment and proximity, through an analysis of a range of innovative case studies and with reference to practitioner interviews. In doing so, it highlights the specificity of the format, as well as providing a critical account of practitioner approaches to the concept development, writing and realisation of short narrative CVR works. The book concludes with an account of practice-led research into the CVR form undertaken in a contemporary academic setting, thus providing a valuable example of creative practice in the field of immersive media.