Creative England Ideate Selection
Creative England partnered with StoryFutures Academy to run a Bootcamp through called the Ideate programme, for those established in the film, television, theatre or games industry who are exploring immersive storytelling. I was lucky enough to be selected for the programme, which was an exciting fast-paced intensive two-day Bootcamp focusing on developing the skills and knowledge to become a creator in VR/AR or MR.
In particular, I was excited to hear from writer Kerry Kolbe and the team at Maze Theory about their approaches to a thrilling epic VR gangster drama set in the gritty criminal underworld of the Peaky Blinders.
Rus Harding, CEO of Maze theory described the narrative driven action adventure featuring legendary characters Tommy Shelby, Arthur Shelby and Polly Gray, set in iconic locations such as The Garrison pub and Charlie’s Yard. He went on to explain how the game will featured authentic player and character interactions driven by new enhanced AI performance technology.
It was really interesting to hear how they manage an already existing IP, and how this informs and challenges one of the most important things for world building in VR: that every object the audience see’s must be there for a reason, must be approachable, must have a back story and must have a reason for being. This is because, if an audience member see’s it and can’t interact, it is frustrating and breaks the suspension of disbelief but more importantly, it’s not realistic to the world you have built. Then believability melts away, and believability is key to immersion.
This is also storyworld building rule Punchdrunk follow, however they often taking it to the extremes in terms of detail. For example, I remember my workshop with them in December and they described a desk with drawers in a library: the drawers were littered with papers, stationary and folders and correspondence. The papers were typed up as authentic mock ups..if you found an enclosed envelope and opened it you would even find a letter inside. They anticipate the audiences eye falling upon everything.
Food for thought.
