Prototyping first-person viewer positions for VR narratives with storyboards and pilot productions

Abstract

In this article, we present two related approaches to scripting or prototyping VR narratives. We tested storyboarding and pilot production techniques with 40 students over two years, and they were tasked with creating documentary VR narratives characterized by embodied moods and experiences. The aim was to help students tailor a strong first-person viewer relationship with the virtual environment utilizing the ways the body can be centred in story worlds. In particular, the article deals with character positioning and point of view-writing in the first-person, drawing on insights from human–computer interaction (HCI) and postphenomenology. There is an ongoing exploration of new experimental approaches to story world production for immersive media, and prototyping processes from fields such as HCI are becoming increasingly relevant for screenwriters. We provide analyses of how storyboards and pilot productions can situate the user in relation to the virtual environment. Based on the analyses, we evaluate the use value of such prototyping for students and practitioners who need to make first-person viewer positions for VR narratives, and we compare our approach with similar pedagogical projects as represented in the literature.