Storytelling comes in many forms. And a good story only becomes better with good medium: engaging, immersive, transporting the audience in an all-too-real world. We’re talking about virtual reality, one of the best storytelling media today. Art director Alejandro Davila created The Green Fairy, a story set to be “told” in Virtual Reality this October. This is New Zealand’s first VR story. There’s a Head Mounted Display (HMD). Once put on, the fun begins!
Distracted by traffic lights, Davila failed driver license test. He then thought it would make for a great story if there were fairies in those lights. It was a spark of imagination about to be brought to life when Davila learned about virtual reality. He then left his job and started pursuing a Masters in Creative Tech in Auckland University of Technology. He then worked with Taura J Greig, a developer and programmer to make the VR, The Green Fairy, happen.
While exciting, the VR story has its own share of limitations. One is that the HMD is a little heavy and is not wireless. When you’re in an interactive Virtual Reality, movement is one of the things you could expect to have. The wires somehow limit the movement. Regardless, this is no major issue, as better equipment are set to come out in the near future and should be out in the market by next year. We will be seeing wireless goggles that weigh less. This is not a far out projection, given the present developments in Virtual Reality. The technology is fast evolving, because they are tied up to huge entertainment projects like games. Samsung will soon have its Head Mounted Display. Consumer VR headsets are also a thing now, and JB Hi-Fi are releasing some towards the end of the year. Even McDonalds has its Happy Goggles in its Happy Meal, a VR kids can access when it’s enabled in their parents’ smart phones.
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The Green Fairy held a demo where kids were able to experience it. The target audience is children, who typically are not when new technologies come out, as sci-fi, mature, and violent games are the ones that get top priority in development and release. With The Green Fairy, children come first. This year’s Techweek saw children lining up to preview it, and they were immersed in it. They were reaching out with their hands, talking to the characters in the VR. Davila’s objective is to create immersive stories that can be experienced in Virtual Reality, having learned its huge potential when it comes to storytelling. Carefully studying the science of motion and incorporating it to the program makes the interaction more enjoyable.
The first part of The Green Fairy will be launched in July 23, 2016 at Auckland Libraries with a VR Storytelling event. There will be downloadable Green Fairy content that will complete the experience. There are going to be purchasable virtual goods from a gift shop, a “Fairy Market” with many shiny things that add to the fun.