Of all the science fiction thrillers, dystopian prophecies, and space operas in the past thirty years, the one film that I believe has had the most impact on our society is TRON (1982).  Not only did this film mark the birth of cyberpunk, but it pushed the scientific possibilities of virtual reality as an imaginary future technology that could significantly serve – or inhibit – future civilization.  TRON profoundly influenced the public consciousness to start thinking in terms of computers and virtual environments, thus preparing society for the digital age of the Internet that would emerge a decade later. When you ...

There’s a ton of screenings and end-of-the-year bashes going on this week at USC, especially with the School of Cinematic Arts’ three day First Look Festival at the Director’s Guild of America, showcasing the best and brightest of the film, animation, and interactive projects.  Tomorrow night, First Frame shows off some really incredible student animation work, some of my favorites are featured below.  I’m looking forward to mingling with the savviest animators at SCA, and hopefully getting a chance to pitch to some of them about an upcoming virtual reality project I’m producing.  Great animators are a joy to have on ...

While on the second night of the incredible 5D Flux Conference on transmedia at USC two weeks ago, Henry Jenkins moderated a discussion with a number of luminaries from the previsualization and motion capture industries, including Chris deFaria (Warner Bros), Ron Frankel (Proof Inc), and Habib Zargarpour (Microsoft Studios).  The topic was on digital design and world building in the narrative media landscape – a topic that is vitally relevant to virtual reality, and couldn’t have been more timely. I had no idea how intertwined the mocap and previz industries were within the film industry, and its incredible how much it ...

I always had trouble with wanting so much more out of first-person shooter games, and its been something that I, and perhaps many others, have been struggling to articulate for the longest time.  I was in love with how they made you feel as if you were truly living as a character in a story – but at the end of the day, most just felt like just another mouse-and-keyboard videogame. They needed to feel more real.  I wanted to actually wander the steel corridors of the Black Mesa Facility, sense the impending claustrophobia of Rapture, or discover for myself the ...