Cinematic VR, VR Concerts, Sports in VR, Metaverse, Virtual Production, Photogrammetry, Volumetric Capture... These are all terms that we hear of and are spoken about a lot nowadays. They are looked upon as disparate separate from each other. That is however not the case. In reality, they are all a part of the Immersive industry - the 4th content industry after Cinema, TV & Digital/OTT.
In this presentation, we talk about a comprehensive approach to the Immersive industry.
1. What’s up with the Immersive Industry?!
A comprehensive approach to immersive engagement
Chaitanya Chinchlikar
chaitanya.c@whistlingwoods.net
Vice President & Business Head, CTO & Head of Emerging Media
2. Let’s get to the point…
Or the sphere… (since it’s all going to be about immersive from here on) 😁
What is the immersive industry?
3. No rocket science to this…
It is the 4th content consumption (experience) platform
Cinema TV Digital/OTT Immersive
4. How did we get here?
What started first?:
- The journey towards OTT/Streaming platforms
OR
- The journey towards the Metaverse?
Common thought would say – OTT / streaming. Right?
After all, the digital content industry started waaaay back when the internet was invented… Right?
Right?
5. How did we get here?
Well, NO!
The immersive industry in-fact started much earlier…
While the metaverse may seem like something that has appeared recently, but it hasn’t.
Over the past 50+ years almost ALL the technological advances in content consumption & creation have
actually lead us to this point. Over the past decades our goal has been to draw the viewer closer & closer
INSIDE the content and make the content experience more & more immersive.
Eg: Screen size, Digital-isation, Projection quality, Surround sound, Imax, Stereoscopy, Atmos, Seats, etc.
6. Content ‘Experience’
• The consumption experience is
becoming as important is the
content.
• And as expected, the market has
responded to give the consumer
what they’re seeking.
The most potent tool for delivering experiences is IMMERSION
9. SENSES
How many senses do humans have?
The obvious answer is five: SIGHT, HEARING, TOUCH, SMELL & TASTE.
But in reality, there are 27.
In addition to these 5 organ-based senses, there are:
¤ 4 Perception-based senses
¤ 18 other Organ based senses
12. IMMERSION
IMMERSION
The impact of immersion on other senses (the ability of activating the sense gating
mechanism of the brain) has caused science to treat immersion as a sense.
Two types of Immersion:
¤ Physical / Technical Immersion
¤ Cognitive Immersion:
• Spatial Immersion
• Temporal Immersion
• Spacio-Temporal Immersion
• Emotional Immersion
13. Journey of the immersive ecosystem
And where are we now?
28. Content & Platforms
WHAT
NEXT?
Cinema TV Digital/OTT
Birth Late 1800s 1930s Late 1990s
Narrative
Influence
High Medium Very High
Visual Influence Very High Medium Medium – to – High
Audio Influence Very High Low Low – to – Medium
Immersion
Impact
Mid – to – High Low Very Low
29. Content & Platforms
Cinema TV Digital/OTT Immersive
Birth Late 1800s 1930s Late 1990s ?
Narrative
Influence
High Medium Very High Medium
Visual Influence Very High Medium Medium – to – High Very High
Audio Influence Very High Low Low – to – Medium Very High
Immersion
Impact
Mid – to – High Low Very Low Very High
30. Content & Platforms
• We need to understand that there are unique production / narrative / experiential needs of
each experience
• The idea-to-consumption pipelines for these experiences
Also, we should know these 4 RULES:
• Don’t bore people – experience without engagement is pointless
• Don’t confuse people – immersive content is not a treasure hunt
• Don’t give people whiplash – contextually 360deg but content-wise between 160-210deg
• Don’t give people a headache / nausea or make them vomit
33. Cinematic VR
• A VR 'film' is an 'experience' of which the Story, Visuals, Sound, Immersion & Interactivity are
all parts. Work on all of them during the ‘writing’.
• Cinematic grammar needs to be re-written for frameless / immersive content.
– Develop a spatial visual view – a 360 mindset
– A deeper study of Immersion as a sense is needed by all filmmakers.
– Directing Attention is the new craft to be learnt by the filmmaker.
– The viewers eyes are your viewfinder & your frame
– Solving people’s FOMO is the big challenge.
• Intuitive Filmmaking is needed - Think of why & how you would look at something.
• Every VR shot is a VFX shot.
34. Cinematic VR
Film / Theatrical TV Digital/OTT Cinematic VR
Nature of
Viewing
Captive Community viewing
Non-captive Family
viewing
Non-captive Individual
viewing
Captive Individual viewing
Platform
Viewing Details
Fixed frame, large screen,
2D & 3D
Fixed frame, small screen,
2D
Fixed frame, mini screen,
2D
FRAMELESS, 2D & 3D,
Duration &
Structure
110-180 mins
60-100 scenes
1-8 shots / scene
22–44 mins
8-10 scenes
1-20 shots / scene
3–60 mins
2-20 scenes
1-4 shots / scene
60secs - 60mins
Fiction Content
Structure
Primarily stand-alone,
marginally serial
Primarily serial, marginally
stand-alone
Equal amount of stand-
alone & serial content
Equal amount of stand-
alone & serial content
USP
Larger Than Life,
Audio-visual narrative
spectacle
Appointment Viewing,
Story & Character
development
Individuality,
High concept, less
formulaic, writing-focused,
pace is critical
Immersive & interactive
35. Live Sports Production
• Don’t conflate production for broadcast with production for immersive
• Go back to first principles of:
– Information
– Experience
And produce for them, given the pros / cons of the immersive production pipeline
• Don’t shun the existing content feeds. Build on them.
• Use the frameless medium appropriately to do more than is possible on broadcast
36. Application of Virtual Production?
• The biggest mistake that the industry makes is to assume that ALL content should be produced
using this pipeline.
• Virtual Production is not meant only for BIG productions like Mandalorian or Blade Runner
2049, etc. Virtual Production has a specific function, a specific use and that is what it should be
used for, and for that ONLY. Right use of it even for just one or 2 shots can add huge value.
• It definitely has a place in the film production ecosystem and producers / directors / technicians
need to make specific decisions whether to deploy VP for certain shots.
37. Virtual Production Pipeline reimagined
Gaming Engine
(Virtual Production
enabled)
Action Assets
- Live Action actors
- Physical Props
- Volumetric Captured assets
- CG created Animated Models
- CG created MoCap assets
- CG created photogrammetry
assets
The World
- Real Set
- Blended Set – Real + Virtual
- Virtual Set (Green Screen/LED)
- Photogrammetry Set
- 360 photograph
- Pre-shot video / photo
- Game-engine created world
360 VR video (3DoF)
Camera, Motion &
Object tracking
Flatscreen video 2D / 3D 6DoF volumetric experience
Output Format
+
39. Problems… a plenty…
• Biological safety about the wearable headset
• Privacy – biohacking – iris tracking / pupil dilation tracking
• Business Model is linked to cryptos / tokens
• DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations) vs Investors
• The Virtual Production pipeline is still too scattered with very little standardisation
• Judicious use of Virtual Production
41. VR – Industry / Revenue / Units
The number of VR devices shipped was
13.48 million units in 2020, expected to
reach 112.62 mn units by 2026, with a
CAGR of 33.85% between 2021-26.
The global VR content market is
expected to reach US$ 84.09bn by 2028,
exhibiting a CAGR of 44.8% between
2021-2028.
As of January 2020
As of January 2022