Immersive 360-degree storytelling has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, with more directors and producers experimenting with the medium to see what can and can’t be achieved, alongside advancements in camera hardware and software. Currently Vanishing Point Media is in the post-production part of creating 360-degree thriller called The Hidden, which is now slated for release early 2018.
The
The project places the viewer in different roles throughout the story, including letting them see events through the perspective of each family member. The goal of the film is to reveal both the tactics used by ICE, whilst enabling viewers to step into the perilous shoes of undocumented immigrants.
“We were made really aware that the power of virtual reality is to put the viewer in the shoes of another soul, and in a place and under a threat that you never would be yourself,” explained BJ Schwartz, who co-directed the film alongside fellow filmmaker Annie Lukowski.
“As important as the social issues are to us, VR really needs to be a compelling entertainment medium,” Lukowski added. “To get the message across, you really need to entertain audiences. So we landed on the thriller genre.”
Lukowski and Schwartz are the co-founders of the VR production company Vanishing Point Media which has created immersive content before, but The Hidden will be the company’s longest project to date, as well as its first original narrative piece.
Vanishing Point Media hasn’t yet confirmed how The Hidden will be distributed, whether it’ll be just for film festivals or if it’ll see a wider release for consumer headsets. As details are revealed VRFocus will let you know.