Why 2017 Is Going to be a Huge Year for Virtual Reality
Around this time last year, the only kind of VR you could see was short form, rarely narrative, rarely episodic. In the past few months, we're starting to see longer form, more storied, and even episodic VR.
The standout VR experience for me that defines that turning tide was NBA Finals 2016: Follow My Lead, directed by Ray Tintori and Gabe Spitzer of m ss ng p eces. It was 25 minutes long and took the average pacing into a much higher velocity with cuts averaging 5 seconds as opposed to the traditional 15-20 seconds. Before this experience was released, it was a common assumption that people wouldn't stay inside of a headset for longer than a few minutes. Whether you like sports or not, people loved this piece from beginning to end. It got me choked up, and made me excited for the future of cinematography in VR because some of the shots are just incredibly well composed. In sum, it showcased a type of creative bravery that the industry really needed to shake itself out of its own echo chamber and see what’s possible – encouraging creativity instead of stifling it.
That being said, VR has only started to scratch the surface of its own potential - both as a medium and as an industry with a marketplace. We are just starting to see VR headsets drop down to price points that more consumers can afford. I think live VR will eventually become the reason consumers decide it's time to buy into this - as they'll want to be teleported in real time to the things that are happening around the world before they're over. Until then, it's going to be content that is buzzworthy enough to make consumers hear about it, as opposed to just people inside this small industry. This will take bigger names, bigger budgets - ones that actually include marketing dollars - and if there's one main thing that's changed, I think the better platforms are starting to come up with those funds.
One development to look for as the medium matures in the coming year will be photorealistic computer animation. I think some of it will be so good we'll be confused as to whether or not we should shoot live action, or work with CG artists and motion capture. We're also going to see the first wave of interactive content. At first it will be very low-level interactivity, and then we'll see some experiences that really blur the lines between entertainment and gaming.
One part of the industry I know we'll continue to see quarterbacking progress is VR-for-good. Even though we're all tired of referring to VR as "The Empathy Machine", it isn't a coincidence that some of the first experiences that really started putting creators and companies on the map are the experiences that have a purpose, and make you feel something for a reason. The world has turned upside down in so many ways that I believe consumers are going to use VR to escape many of the nightmares we're facing in our everyday lives, in addition to looking for ways to become part of solutions. This is an area that really excites me and my team at m ss ng p eces. Our roster is coming up with ideas that are very inspired and profound, and we can't wait to take these concepts to market. The tools at our disposal are incredibly empowering, the resources are much more accessible, and I think in general, the world has realized this medium is here to stay. That belief is going to fuel some incredible evolution – 2017 is going to be a huge year.
