Expand your mind by expanding your field of view.
VR and documentaries have been a natural fit since almost the beginning of the medium, right after CG space shooters. And whether they’re shot for true, spatial VR or 360 degree video, directors and news teams are finding ways to place us in real life experiences just as much as imaginary worlds. The result? Encouraging empathy, which encourages action to help make social change.
We’ve picked out some of the best VR documentaries we’ve seen so far, for both mobile and PC based VR headsets. They’re made by VR studios, news networks, independent productions and charities.
Grenfell: Our Home
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From Ex Nihilo, ARTE France and AudiGaming, Notes on Blindness – a companion to the feature film of the same name – is a must. It’s a documentary that uses minimilist 3D animation and binaural audio to explore the words of writer and academic John Hull, who started keeping an audio diary in 1983 after he lost his sight. The book, and now the film and VR experience, are based on three year’s worth of entries.
Try Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness on Gear VR, Cardboard, iOS and Android.
Behind The Fence
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A double bill now of windows into solitary confinement, starting with Frontline PBS’ After Solitary, which first went live in spring 2017. Here, we get to virtually spend time in a 13×7 cell in Maine State Prison, with stats overlaid onto the inner walls and insight into what it’s like to be isolated there from Kenneth Moore who has spent 20 years of his life in prison.
6×9
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This BBC two-parter is available for Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR and the BBC’s virtual reality hub. In a total of 28 minutes, we’re taken through Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia by Alastair Leithead, the BBC’s Africa correspondent.
Leithead shows us the issues such as the politics of water control on the ground with drone shots, village and temple tours and candid, to-camera reporting. Watch episode 1 above and expect a lot more VR news and documentary experiments from the Beeb.
The Protectors
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If you’re looking out for what’s on the horizon when it comes to VR docs, check out Vestige from Aaron Bradbury, which we got to try out at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s a bit different to the rest of the picks in that it’s a 10 minute non-linear, room scale VR documentary that explores memory and uses volumetric live capture. RYOT is involved again as are other VR names such as Atlas V and Kaleidoscope.
Dan Benzakein, who covered Cannes 2018 for us, said: “As you navigate the space in this touching story of loss and grief, you trigger new narrative branches, opening alternative pathways that make Vestige a unique experience.” It’s been picked up for distribution after Tribeca and Cannes – for now, watch the trailer above.
Source: Wearable