Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive medium that can create powerful and engaging stories. But how can you convert stories for VR, especially if they were originally written for other formats? In this article, you will learn some tips and techniques to adapt stories for VR, and how to avoid some common pitfalls.
The first step to convert stories for VR is to identify the VR potential of your story. What makes your story suitable for VR? How can you use the spatial, interactive, and emotional aspects of VR to enhance your story? How can you leverage the VR platform and devices to create a seamless and intuitive experience? You need to analyze your story and find the elements that can benefit from VR, such as the setting, the characters, the plot, the theme, and the tone.
Most people have AR devices (smartphones) , but VR & MR devices are still niche... I suspect this is because most XR experiences (both SW & HW) often don’t meet the public’s high expectations…
The next step is to choose the VR format that best fits your story. There are different types of VR formats, such as 360 video, interactive cinema, branching narrative, and game-like. Each format has its own strengths and limitations, and requires different levels of interactivity, agency, and immersion. You need to consider the goals, the audience, and the budget of your story, and select the format that can deliver your vision and message effectively.
Understanding your audience helps you tailor your message, products, or services to meet their needs and preferences. where are they? how old are they? what do they care about? what do they do?
The third step is to rewrite the script for VR. This means that you need to adapt the language, the structure, the pacing, and the perspective of your story for VR. You need to use clear and concise language, avoid long and complex sentences, and use direct address and second person pronouns. You need to structure your story in a way that allows for exploration, choice, and feedback, and avoid linear and passive storytelling. You need to pace your story according to the attention span, the comfort level, and the emotional state of the VR user, and avoid too much or too little information. You need to choose the perspective that best suits your story, such as first person, third person, or omniscient, and use appropriate camera angles, movements, and transitions.
The fourth step is to design the environment for VR. This means that you need to create a realistic, coherent, and immersive world for your story. You need to use high-quality graphics, sound, and animation, and avoid low-resolution, blurry, or distorted images. You need to create a consistent and logical spatial layout, and avoid clutter, confusion, or contradiction. You need to create an immersive atmosphere, and use lighting, color, texture, and ambiance to convey the mood and tone of your story.
The final step is to test and iterate your VR story. This means that you need to evaluate your VR story from the user's perspective, and collect feedback and data. You need to test your VR story on different devices, platforms, and settings, and check for technical issues, such as glitches, bugs, or errors. You need to test your VR story with different users, such as experts, novices, or target audience, and check for user issues, such as engagement, enjoyment, comprehension, or discomfort. You need to iterate your VR story based on the results, and make changes, improvements, or additions to your VR story.
My son’s senior thesis at Reed was to investigate uses of VR to increase immersion in a live theatre performance. He recreated some locations and scenes from the Little Prince and worked with actors to perform them and allow viewers to move freely around the scene. Tools were Altspace VR (unfortunately now discontinued) and Oculus headsets.
Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe were originally in the “round.” Traveling Cirque shows are the same. Think about your audience being in a wholistic environment— the focus is on just a part of a scene, which you can control with light, sound, and movement. If you really want to know best how narrative works in VR, study theater— especially theater in the round.