5 Best Virtual Reality Movies
While filmmakers have still to harness the full capabilities of virtual reality and create feature films, there are still some amazing videos available to watch with your headset. By utilising a 360-degree camera and binaural audio, viewers are able to immerse themselves completely into the world created with these films.
Documentaries, nature films, horror stories, and adventure packed sequences are just a few of the things on offer with these initial releases, tantalising viewers with a taste of what’s to come in the future.
Some of these titles are available on selected headsets only and many films are just released as a trailer, so they may not be accessible to all. However, it’s clear to see from these initial films that the world of cinemas is going to change drastically as technologies continue to improve.
1. Help
This collaboration between Justin Lin, director of Fast and the Furious Fame, and Google Spotlight Studios is about an escape from an alien attack. The five minute short may not seem very long, but its impressiveness will blow you away.
Help is a full 360 spherical film that allows the viewer to immerse themselves completely in the story. Available to download for free and watch on your phone with Google Cardboard, this impressive short took two years to complete. It’s a thrilling story packed with adventure from start to finish.
2. 11:57
This film sets to change the horror genre forever, as it places you in the middle of a dark room and you wait for the action to start. Touted as a 360-degree nightmare, 11:57 stars you as the main character.
This virtual reality horror story will offer viewers an experience unlike normal films, there’s no chance to turn away when you’re frightened as you’re the star of the show. Created for both Oculus Rift and mobile viewing, this one of a kind adventure is available to most viewers.
3. Dryft Wild: The National Parks
For something a little less confronting, Dryft Wild: The National Parks is the world’s first VR natural history series. These films are just the beginning of how this amazing technology can bring the wonders of the universe to our lounge rooms.
Featuring amazing landmarks, natural wonders of America, vast landscapes, and strange geology, this VR film will take you through a range of different perspectives. Whether you’re hanging from a cliff or meeting wild animals, Dryft Wild will change the way you think about nature documentaries from now on.
4. White Room: 02B3
This 2012 film was originally created for dome theatres that allowed viewers the chance to witness it in its full 360-degree glory. Now adapted for the VR market, you’re able to get a completely different experience each time you watch and focus on different characters of the film.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up trapped in a room with six others and access to one gun? White Room: 02B3 places you right in the story and gives you the chance to see the narrative from any view you like, making for a highly compelling experience.
5. Vice News VR: Millions March NYC
Not all virtual reality films have to be action packed adventure rides, as the technology can also create innovative new ways to witness news and documentaries. Legendary filmmaker Spike Jonze captured the events of the Million March for Vice News in New York recently with a VR camera in tow.
The result is a 10-minute film that puts viewers right in the action of this historic event and allows them to feel all of the emotions and intensity of the day. This first-person narrative shows great potential for the world of journalism if virtual reality was to become a widely used form of delivering the news.
Conclusion
These films are just a few of the ways which directors and filmmakers are harnessing the powers of virtual reality. With VR, the cinematic world as we know it will shift before our eyes as viewers are now made the central characters in narratives. Images and scenery will be more lifelike than ever before, and our emotional reactions to these stories will heighten.
While they’re still in the initial phases, don’t expect too many feature-length films arriving, but you’ll surprise yourself with how much entertainment you can get from a short when viewing it with your VR headgear.
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