Narrative Fiction in Virtual and Augmented Reality
Through a series of case studies based on recent projects, this talk will examine the unique opportunities and challenges for narrative fictional storytelling in virtual and augmented reality. Projects to be discussed include: Lincoln in the Bardo (NYT VR), The Interpretation of Dreams(Samsung VR Pilot Season), objects in mirror AR closer than they appear (Tribeca Storyscapes 2018), and Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit (Google). Each project explores narrative fiction in a different immersive format: virtual reality short film, episodic series, multisensory AR installation, and feature film. Approaches to adapting narrative fiction from traditional media to immersive new media storytelling will be a central focus, including adaptation of classic dramatic literature, contemporary fiction, and immersive theater.
Graham Sack is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and academic whose work crosses boundaries between new media, film, and theater. Graham wrote and directed Lincoln In The Bardo, a VR experience for New York Times VR based on the acclaimed best-selling novel by “MacArthur Genius” George Saunders, which was short-listed for an Interactive Emmy Award and praised as “one of the top 5 must see virtual reality experiences” by Time Magazine. He was the lead creator of objects in mirror AR closer than they appear, an augmented reality and immersive theater installation based on The Object Lessonthat premiered at Tribeca Storyscapes 2018 and transferred to New York Theater Workshop. Graham is a member of New Inc, the New Museum’s artist incubation program, and also holds a BA in from Harvard, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and is completing a PhD in Digital Humanities at Columbia University, where his research is focused on computational approaches to storytelling.