Directing cinematic VR

Directing live action and CGI seem worlds apart. But in reality they use the same skill set. You're still visualising a finished film, and breaking it down into a storyboard. You're still working on camera movement, composition, focal length, depth of field and lighting, just using different tools. Scripting commentary, editing, sound design, mixing, grading; much of the process is essentially the same, and the skills are transferable.

But what about 3D 360, on-rails 'cinematic VR'? That's where you really do have to think differently. There are no lenses, no wide shots and closeups. Everything is the same 360 lens, all the time. So you'll need some new principles.

Firstly, it's tempting to take the viewer on a rollercoaster ride. But if you're a brand talking to a wide audience, some of that audience will be sensitive to motion sickness, and then your product will for evermore be associated with throwing up, which is generally frowned upon in marketing. So it's better to provide a 3D spectacle that's enjoyed comfortably, at walking pace, while the visuals around you do the work.

Of course, there are tricks you can use, like flying around in a vehicle to give you a frame of reference. Up and down movement are also better tolerated. You can even play with that point of near vertigo, for dramatic effect. But don't overdo it, VR sickness is a genuinely horrible experience.

Secondly, it's exciting that you have a 360 degree stage to play with, so directors often feel the need to put important elements behind the viewer, where they won't see them. While this can work in certain situations, usually it's a mistake. Most people will be watching sitting down, and they may not be on a swivel chair. They may also have cables from the headset to get tangled up in. If they have to look over their shoulder all the time, the film will quite literally be a pain in the neck. So better to stage the action so that most of the important stuff is in front of them from the start, with a few things appearing stage left and right, and enough peripheral vision to flesh out the scene and give it a sense of reality.

You'll also need to remember that clarity is related to distance. Things that are far away are lower resolution, and there's a sweet spot close to the viewer, as close as you can touch, where objects will look detailed and fascinating, so use it to your advantage.

Finally, you don't have wide shots, medium shots and close-ups to direct the viewer's attention. But that doesn't mean you can't gently guide their attention towards important elements using camera movement, motion graphics, 3D sound design, voice over, and animated elements that fly past them to guide the eye. Yes, the viewer should be free to look wherever they want, but you can gently suggest that looking in a particular direction is going to be more interesting.

These aren't the only principles you can use. The great thing about 360 and VR is that they're a new territory to explore. You can however see some of these ideas in action in the ENEC nuclear films below, designed to give an audience of students and school children a tour of the Barakah nuclear power station, while explaining nuclear fission and electricity generation. Try them with an Samsung Gear or Oculus Go for the full 3D effect.

On mobile devices, for the best experience please watch them in the YouTube app here, and here.