Following the success of Ready Player One in box offices HTC Vive, the official partner for the film, has released a short behind the scenes video that showcases some of the techniques and technology that was used to create the visually impressive world of Oasis.
Ready Player One is all about virtual reality (VR) and the cast and crew were no stranger to VR technologies as it became a fundamental part of the production process. It was revealed last month that a number of head-mounted displays (HMDs) were used during the filming process. Now, in the behind the scenes video viewers can see just how it was all put together and how the cast, crew and director Steven Spielberg utilized the power of VR and HTC Vive to produce the film.
One of the most standout uses of VR was by creating the sets in virtual space and then exploring them with a HMD to set up shots and direct actors. Director Steven Spielberg used this to ensure that the actors were not just acting in an empty white room but had a point of reference, knowing where items on the set were, to help them deliver more natural performances. Likewise, Spielberg could also watch the actors in VR and use a built in camera to set, frame and capture the shot all within VR thanks to the HTC Vive.
The crew made sure to take full advantage of the power of the HTC Vive and VR by fully working it into their production pipeline and workflow. Should a location need changing or editing at the last minute, it was completely possible thanks to the tools on hand allowing artist to make adjustments on the fly.
Actors and Spielberg could even walk around the sets together before filming to talk through scenes to work out the best way to direct the shot. Thanks to the HTC Vive allowing everyone to immersive themselves in the scenes they were able to feel that the sense of realism that Steven Spielberg was trying to achieve with Ready Player One, helping to make the production feel more real.
You can see the behind the scenes video from HTC Vive below and for more on Ready Player One, keep reading VRFocus.