I’m far from the first person to suggest that creative companies are currently at a crossroads. Everything around us is shifting, from the media and platforms we’re expected to navigate, to the kinds of ideas our clients expect from us. And it seems that increasingly, we’re falling short of those expectations. Why? A failure on our part for not changing the creative ways we work with technologists and partners to come up with fresh ideas.
Fortunately, another parallel revolution is taking place inside the creative process itself, and it’s being driven by the still-emerging medium of virtual reality. The sheer amount of problem solving, rule breaking, and inventiveness the VR production process demands is reshaping the way creative and technologists do their work and work together, setting the stage for never-before-seen kinds of creativity that will push storytelling forward.
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Just as this is uncharted territory to those creating the content, it is also new waters for the businesses commissioning these projects. The same taste for adventure and relative comfort with uncertainty is required of our clients. VR projects rarely emerge fully formed just as they were initially pitched, and, for businesses not knowing exactly what they are paying for, it can be unsettling. The straightforward, familiar process of pitching on a brief is out the window. The technology is changing at exponential speed that it’s almost impossible to keep up, like new headsets coming into the market everyday, and there are just too many other variables that can occur during production. VR directors, producers, and technologists have a responsibility to educate their clients on this new way of working, from the leap of faith that is required during production, to the new opportunities (as well as the limitations) inherent to the finished product.
As the years have passed, VR content creators are no longer flying by the seat of their pants—this is the chapter that sees us reaping the benefits of exploration. The new creative process that has emerged is malleable but has some consistency. It always requires true collaboration. It asks us to experiment, test, and experiment again. When it’s done correctly, it produces experiences that inspire awe and euphoria like no other. VR’s new storytellers and creators are just beginning to understand its true power, as we are on the precipice of evolving into a new dimension of possibilities.
Source: Fastcocreate