We really have not discussed the idea of if the next Trek TV series could have an element of virtual & augmented reality. No not a whole 45 minute episode but maybe a scene or two so the audience could continue exploring into a non-linear story after they watch the episode. This is a entertainment medium that is in its infancy. Perhaps CBS will embrace it in the next few years with the next Trek TV series property? technological advancements in virtual reality devices such as head-mounted displays (HMDs) such as Rift developed by Oculus VR. will finally allow this. How will audiences move through an immersive environment? a 360 degree perspective in a 3D environment. When I said not an entire episode but maybe a fully CGI holodeck type of scene would work great. It is projects like this ( http://www.enterprise3dproject.com/ ) that show what is possible when you complement them with HMDs. No not just some fanboy using the official Blueprints making this but released by CBS not just as promotional but as part of non-linear immersive storytelling. If CBS were to use the actual CGI models created for the next Trek TV show we as the audience could actually experience being on the next Enterprise or another ship or whatever CGI environment was created for the TV show. Yes CBS using the proper legit copyrighted ship models with the full 1080p resolution textures. Maybe they could put the actors all standing there in a freeze frame and turn them into frozen CGI models so we could walk around them in 3-D? Like the story was stopped so we could explore. At that point "Easter Eggs" would be found in every one of these. This is not a new idea. I've discussed it before. Actually being able to walk around and explore the actual virtual sets from the same CGI models used of a scripted episode. My post from June here goes into detail and some other ideas for "episodes" and DLC for these immersive non-linear storytelling. What do you guys think about CBS using VR for official canon nonlinear immersive storytelling?
I thought about it as a pseudo avatar like situation. Where the crew "beam down" to a planet however are in fact on a holodeck witnessing the advance of a probe. It's allow characters to explore gas giants and the like without space suites.
The last few series had trouble keeping numbers up among viewers with normal TVs. I don't think they are going to win any points catering to the 3 people that can take advantage of it. I think the next best thing we can hope for is for the next Trek to use the short-season, serialized format, develop compelling stories and characters, tap well-known guest stars, and embrace streaming. The next logical step might be something like a companion website (and/or an app) to offer exclusive special features for each show, like a Trek version of Pottermore, to keep viewers enticed. IMO what you're suggesting is still decades away from mainstream media (if it ever takes hold).
I think websites are going to not be viable marketing tools in 10 years. More instant social media will become the norm for marketing. What I'm talking about is canon. Having a new entertainment 1st person immersive environment medium that is considered Trek Canon (not just TV and feature films). While I think it will be theme parks and gamers at first this is a new entertainment form that will take cinematics and first-person entertainment to a whole new level. Probably 5-10 years but not decades. Sure strapping a head-mounted displays (HMDs) will always be a smaller market as people are just not going to do it en masse. Although maybe goto a location (theme park) and the HMD 'rental' is included with admission.
Well, I guess we'll see... But I think that's quite a statement. If it's going to be canon, it can't just be offered to a very small segment of the market. You'd have to offer it alternatively, in some mainstream format, to everyone.
This video shows that this new method of storytelling in VR is going to become a new means of experiencing a story and not just passively watching. See this 5 minute video. Sense of Presence: Storytelling in Virtual Reality Imagine the Enterprise that is on the show that you can walk around and touch it on VR. The video just mentions a few things about HOW to tell a story this way. I think this will become much more than first-person-shooter gamers and much more mainstream entertainment since you are experiencing the environment and characters. Star Trek would be a great example of that world, characters, locations. Will they be first? No. I think maybe in 2019 Trek will get there.
Eventually scifi and real world storytelling will meld, you won't be able to tell the difference..but the time isn't upon us just yet.
As I've said previously in the Futureproofing thread: volumetric 3D full-body scans not just face or actual scenes. The actor would could come in for voiceover work or greenscreen work. At the moment Lucusfilm's ILMxLab has been source We are talking about volumetric 3D video of people in virtual reality immersive 3D video of real people — for virtual reality, augmented reality, and the web. Add a high frame rate for an immersive experience: for how this looks see this 1 minute video 8i is Making Virtual Reality More Human Ok now imagine being on the Enterprise and seeing the principle characters right next to you. You can stand next to the captain or behind him/her.
If you watch this 16 minute video is really gives you an idea of what I'm talking about for Trek canon storytelling as interactive storytelling. Actually being in the space of the CGI sets and how fans of a show will feel like they are on the set. Inside ILM's secret Star Wars virtual reality lab as well as this 14 minute video from 2014 Virtual reality -- how the metaverse will change filmmaking | George Bloom | TEDxHollywood see around 3 minutes where they take a laser scanner to a real location and scan it and create data for a 3D point cloud and map it and to recreate that location in CGI for a virtual set. This virtual set can be used for traditional filmmaking/episodic TV or for 3-D VR immersive experiences. At 4 minutes you can see exactly how the 2017 Trek TV series will use some of this technology while in Canada shooting on some standing sets and greenscreen this year to save money. who is he? George Bloom is an executive producer at CBS Digital the visual effects team responsible for movies and television series. Executive Producer at CBS Television Studios George introduces the concept of the “metaverse” and how it will change filmmaking in sets, crew, actors, and most importantly, the story. Yes that CBS Digital that did most of TNG remastering.They still have those 3-D models they used for TNG remastering and can repurposed for new Trek series and immersive storytelling. He has been using VR since 2013. You know they will at least be making some promotional VR thing for the new Trek 2017 series that will be at the Las Vegas 50th Trek convention in 2017. At 6:55 he talks about higher frame rates for presence for real-time processing using a handheld camera .See at 7:15 an example. At 8:11 he talks about 3-D scan of human. You can bet all of the Trek 2017 series actors will have scans done. At 8:55 you see motion capture being done and the end result rendered and you can see how some Trek aliens will be done rather than full CGI like on ENT season 3 the expensive Xindi-Insectoids aliens as animated CGI . At 10:58 virtual story engine from AI. Yes software to come up with stories. Hmm Just when you think Trek has rehashed old Trek stories and TV sci-fi Tropes. He oversees CBS Digital VR lab which creates immersive content experiences http://www.cbsdvfx.com/
A short in this VR medium is possible but at what return on investment? As a promotional piece for CBS All Access before season 2? See what is possible With the release of Oculus Go, several virtual reality films show the way forward one of them How would that work for a Star Trek short?
This is the type of trek animated shorts episodic series we could get in VR that could be created at a low cost with fantastic CGI visual planets. Motion capture data streamed directly into game engines. The CGI assets can be shared cross platform with other episodic episodes.