VR Technologies in Docudrama

Abstract

The essay explores the implementation of VR technologies in film
production, — a development due to which audio-visual content, which is in
high demand both in television and on the Internet, has taken a new direction,
and which is a topical issue in contemporary film studies. VR technologies allow
the viewer who sits on a swivel chair and wears a VR-helmet incorporating
360-degree rotating LCD monitors to watch different areas of action.
A characteristic feature of VR content is a multi-sensory experience including
sight, hearing, smell and touch. VR creates a digital reality with maximum
sensory immersion. VR is different from cinema, theatre and 3D technologies:
here the deception takes place not only at eye level but also at cerebral level.
The essay argues that the use of VR technology is particularly successful in
the genre of docudrama. A vivid confirmation of this argument is The Hermitage
VR. An Immersion Into History (Russia,18 minutes). In this film, the dual nature
of docudrama, which combines various elements of documentary and fiction
cinema, allows to recreate historical eras, with the viewer becoming a witness
to unique historic events. The film’s director Mikhail Antykov tells the history
of the Hermitage Museum in a spectacular form, making the viewer empathize
with the events they see through their VR glasses. The powerful artistic image
is enhanced by the excellent acting of Konstantin Khabensky in the role of a
mystical museum guide. Via facial expressions, gestures and gait, the actor
conveys the emotions of a person walking through museum halls. Thoughtful
re-enactment scenes representing various historical epochs, augmented by
unusual camera angles, inventive lighting and music score, create a metaphor
for time and give the viewer an illusion of participation in the unfolding events.
Identifying the latest trends in film production, the essay demonstrates
that VR technologies continue the evolution of screen arts which possess the
potential to transform into an independent and profitable industry similar to
traditional cinema. The author concludes that an increased interest in a national
culture, little-known facts of history and the general historical heritage of a
nation is a fertile source of content for the producers of VR-docudramas.