Capability: cinematic VR, screenwriting/script, shot design/storyboards, Unity3D, basic C#, prototypes, augmented reality design, location-based experience/set design, producing, directing, budgeting, talent management
'User Experience' is a relatively new term in the design world. We tend to use it to refer to a specific area of product design and development, but all design is User Experience in the end. Virtual Reality and other immersive media might very well be the ultimate expression of user experience at this moment in the continuum.
In 2018, I decided to expand my skills and marry my UX work with my cinema arts work by enrolling in Producing for Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences at Columbia College Chicago. Taught by a leading authority in producing VR and location-based experiences, I am fully equipped to take a concept from the bar napkin to the people, start to finish. As application for VR/AR/MR/XR continue to grow, companies will need to address the need for producers who are able to apply current user experience principles to this rapidly emerging technology.
One ongoing project is a folk horror feature film in its early stages. Work includes a proof-of-concept experience taken from the script, and the rest is production design to guide the art director. These pieces can also be leveraged as promotional content later.
Another project completed during the course was a mock, location-based experience showcasing the Chicago rock club, The Empty Bottle. Continue scrolling to view production documentation examples, including first-pass design of the VR experience laid out in Unity.
The above three images represent a complete initial creative brief used for proof of concept for a location-based experience. The following images relate to a first pass at the VR experience design.
Jumping off from the script, I used an app called Shot Designer to lay out camera movements that would occur at various user-initiated cues.
Screenshot from Unity3D design process.
Video Clip: testing an environment.