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 …

We all experienced it at some point in the nineties (or eighties) – the excitement of recharging guns, flashing lights, black light induced obstacles, and hefty battle-ready cyber vests.  Laser tag was the culmination of a cybernetic cultural fantasy, an experience that brought environments found in TRON and Blade Runner to life.  At a very young age, I found myself running, dodging, and killing in an immersive deathmatch – it was like living a videogame, before I really knew what a videogame was.  It’s an attraction that has waned since the rise of the information age, having lost its imagination …