Nov 15, 2018

Baobab's "The Raven": The Legend: The Most Immersive VR Narrative Experience Ever

In the past few years, there has been a growing movement to make VR experiences more narrative than just an experience.

When Cartoon Brew experienced Baobab Studios' "Crow: The Legend" at the recent VIEW conference in Turin, one thing was clear: the experience is not just about the story.

While many immersive experiences require viewers to wear vr goggles for only a short time, Crow: The Crow, directed by Baobab co-founder Eric Darnell (co-director of DreamWorks' "Antz" and "Madagascar" franchises) Legend" has a running time of 22 minutes. In a full VR setting, viewers can see 360 degrees. In some scenes, viewers engage in interactive action, while in others, the action unfolds as in a traditional narrative piece. The main difference will be that the viewer will feel as if they are an integral part of the storytelling.

Now, in this story based on a Native American folk tale, the user becomes a "spirit of the season" who brings winter to the home of carefree animals; by wearing VR goggles and holding a controller, the user actually "sprinkles" wintery snow on the forest of animals and one buck (voice: John Legend) resolves the problem. John Legend) will be on the lookout for a solution.

Crowe's journey, as you follow it, takes him to "the one who creates everything by thought" (Oprah Winfrey) and to the stars and near the sun. At certain points, the audience is encouraged to participate directly, using controllers to scatter snow and flowers, or to conduct a symphony while gliding through asteroid showers.

These interactive events happen regardless of what the user does with the controller, but you will definitely feel as if you are participating while the story of "The Crow" unfolds: the legend unfolds. [That's exactly the point, noted Kane Lee, head of content at Baobab Studios, who spoke with Cartoon Brew at the VIEW conference in Italy last month.

"What we're most committed to with VR is making you part of the story, making you have a role in the story.

Baobab has been refining its approach to immersive storytelling since launching in 2015 and delivering vr projects like Invasion. and Asteroids, and with Crow: Crow: The Legend, the company is trying to balance story and experience. Not only did they try to strike a balance between story and experience, but they also took advantage of the game engine's (in this case Unity's) current capabilities to make the world feel as alive as possible.

Advances in game engines are clearly evident in the rendering of interactive effects particles during "The Crow," as well as in trees and animal fur, such as the tail of a skunk (Constance Wu). But the richest leap in technology is felt at the moment when the central figure flies through the asteroid rain amidst a chorus of music. It is here that the audience, by holding the controller and waving their hands, "orchestrates" the music and helps Crow clear a path through the blue "whiffs" of space.

"When the whiff interacts with certain elements, like stars, planets, or asteroids, it either highlights the path for Crowe or gets them out of his way so that he can travel more freely on his way," Lee explained. 'But it also unlocks musical elements. Every time you activate a star or asteroid, a different musical element comes up."

From a technical standpoint, Baobab devised a way for the numerous different choruses, which are conducted independently by the viewer, to still match the underlying score. The result is the most interactive part of Crow: the result is the most interactive part of Crow: The Legend, and one that the studio was very aware of during production.

"That sequence was designed entirely for the VR aspect of "Crow," says Lee. "This was the moment when we told everyone involved in interactivity within the company, 'This is your shining moment.'"

Interestingly, this entire asteroid symphony is not in the linear viewing version of "Crow: The Legend," which Baobab released today as an animated short. Says Lee, "[The asteroid part] can't support the story in 2D [referring to the viewing format as opposed to the 360VR version]." But 2D has its advantages: "But going back to 2D, you can add animations, lights, close-ups, use other tools. Everything is independent of the game engine environment."

Although it is still early days for Baobab, much has already happened in the field of vr filmmaking, and the studio hopes to continue exploring what it means to create vr experiences.

"In a way, 'Crow' is something we've wanted to do since we first started the studio. When we first started the studio, we weren't quite ready. But we have some of the smartest people in the field of interactivity and games in our studio. And here we are now.