"Transmitting Sensations and Memory: The Differences Between Virtual Reality and Traditional Screen Cinema"
In today's technologically advanced era, the methods of storytelling are becoming increasingly diverse, with virtual reality (VR) emerging as a new frontier in narrative due to its unique immersive experience. Unlike traditional cinema, VR uses a 360-degree comprehensive perspective and interactivity to place the viewer directly into the story's setting, breaking down the barriers between the viewer and the screen. Experiencing emotions is considered a key reason for using entertainment media because "they help in attaining a pleasant state of arousal or because they give rise to novel, intense, and sensational experiences" (Ding, N., Zhou, W. and Fung, A.Y., 2018, p1573; Vorderer et al., 2004; Bartsch et al., 2006; Bartsch and Viehoff, 2010). In the article Emotional effect of cinematic VR compared with traditional 2D film, the authors study the emotional effects of CVR compared to traditional 2D cinema by examining subjective emotional experiences and physiological responses. Participants watched either a CVR or 2D segment of the same film. Their emotional states were measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), while their physiological responses were recorded. The study results indicate that CVR produces a stronger emotional effect than 2D cinema. Specifically, CVR elicited higher levels of excitement, tension, hostility, and anxiety. Physiological data also showed more significant reactions in CVR viewers, including changes in skin temperature and heart rate (Ding, N., Zhou, W. and Fung, A.Y., 2018). Thus, Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR) not only changes the way we watch and experience stories but also deeply immerses viewers in the narrative environment, creating a more intense emotional experience and offering new possibilities for narrating complex and profound trauma and memory.
Compared to traditional screen cinema, CVR also faces challenges in expressing memory and trauma. The first challenge is how to guide the viewer's attention within the 360-degree space. The narrative power in traditional screen cinema is held by the creators, so the viewer's attention is focused on the creator's expression. However, CVR allows viewers to freely choose their viewing direction, “Forcing the viewers’ attention to a specific element destroys immersion, thus contradicting the great potential of VR” (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018, p186). The expression of memory and trauma relies on the viewer's high empathy and understanding of the creator's content. For CVR creators, how to maintain the viewer's attention in a free viewing direction is crucial. Researchers have proposed five elements in CVR that can guide the viewer's attention (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018):
Gazes: The character’s gaze helps guide the viewer's attention (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018).
Sound: The viewer looking for sound can guide attention to where the creator wants (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018)
Motion: The fewer objects moving in the scene, the moving objects will attract the viewer's attention (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018)
Context: In the plot, conforming or contradicting the viewer's expectations (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018).
Perspective: The filming perspective can guide the viewer's attention (Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018).
Madrid Noir(2021)
In addition, in my own viewing experience, I found that light and color are also used to attract the viewer's attention. In Madrid Noir (2021), because the content of the scene is very rich, in order to attract the viewer's attention, the protagonist Lola is added with a spotlight, and the spotlight changes with the movement of the protagonist.
Official Trailer of Madrid Noir (2021)
Goliath: Playing With Reality (2021) tells the story of Goliath, who has experienced challenges related to schizophrenia. The audience will understand the complex reality of having a mental illness through his memories and experiences (whether real or imagined). The extensive use of contrasting colors not only brings an emotional impact to the viewer but also guides the viewer's attention by making the protagonist and the environment contrast colors.
Goliath: Playing With Reality (2021)
In addition, "Presence" is considered one of the factors that CVR can evoke more empathy compared to traditional screen cinema. “Presence” is our awareness of the medium disappears and we are pushed through the medium to sensations that approach direct experience (Mateer, 2017, p23; Biocca, 2002). The article The effects of cinematic virtual reality on viewing experience and the recollection of narrative elements compared the viewing experience, memory features, and the accuracy of narrative event recollection of participants watching animated films with VR headsets and fixed screens (Szita, K., Gander, P. and Wallstén, D., 2018). The results show that VR viewers have a higher level of presence in the display environment, their memories of the film are more vivid, evoke stronger emotions, and are more likely to recall from a first-person perspective. However, the detailed recall ability of VR participants was worse than that of screen viewers (Szita, K., Gander, P. and Wallstén, D., 2018).
In summary, I hope to give readers a concept that CVR may be more suitable for depicting memory and trauma due to its enhanced emotional engagement compared to traditional screen cinema, though it still has flaws. In subsequent blogs, I will examine some CVR films to analyze how CVR can evoke emotional involvement in a way that fosters empathy for memories and traumas.
Bibliography
Ding, N., Zhou, W. and Fung, A.Y., 2018. Emotional effect of cinematic VR compared with traditional 2D film. Telematics and Informatics, 35(6), pp.1572-1579.
Gödde, M., Gabler, F., Siegmund, D. and Braun, A., 2018. Cinematic narration in VR–rethinking film conventions for 360 degrees. In Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality: Applications in Health, Cultural Heritage, and Industry: 10th International Conference, VAMR 2018, Held as Part of HCI International 2018, Las Vegas, NV, USA, July 15-20, 2018, Proceedings, Part II 10 (pp. 184-201). Springer International Publishing.
Madrid Noir, 2021 MADRID NOIR - Official Launch Trailer.2 July. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvuEQxIOvik [Accessed 20 August 2024]
Mateer, J., 2017. Directing for Cinematic Virtual Reality: how the traditional film director’s craft applies to immersive environments and notions of presence. Journal of media practice, 18(1), pp.14-25.
Rothe, S., Buschek, D. and Hußmann, H., 2019. Guidance in cinematic virtual reality-taxonomy, research status and challenges. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 3(1), p.19.
Szita, K., Gander, P. and Wallstén, D., 2018. The effects of cinematic virtual reality on viewing experience and the recollection of narrative elements. PRESENCE: Virtual and Augmented Reality, 27(4), pp.410-425.
