Visual Storytelling, Environment Design, Spatial Cinematography
“Aesthetics, Functionality, Narrative, Storytelling”
This week was about using space and narrative to strengthen the storytelling. The main techniques used are: leading lines, the rule of thirds, avoiding tangents, balance and symmetry, blocking, depth, and camera angles.
In VR, we can’t use these techniques the same way moviemakers can as our camera is the user, and the user will move however they want to, unlike a movie where the camera is positioned exactly as directed by the producer. So we need to create the environment thinking of all the possible methods and angles.
Medium shots connect your characters with the audience referring to our positional relationship when having a conversation with someone. For VR we have to use the position and scale of our player compared to the characters in the experience.
Close-up shots are meant for situations where the subject’s serious emotions are being conveyed.
Medium close-up shots are for reactions. They put the viewer in the space as the character.
Extreme close-up shots are used to direct the audience to see specific things, such as facial features.
Wide shots show the environment and what is around the character, giving all the information.
Extreme wide(long) shots portray the world of the character, usually as the establishing shot.
Establishing shots set the scene. They let the audience know where the characters are and where the scene will happen.
For any technique to be effective in VR we have to guide the user through prompts (sound, light, movements, etc) or take the more drastic and unrealistic approach of forcefully moving the user to where we want them to be.