Mirjam Vosmeer

Interactive Cinema: Engagement and Interaction

Technologies that were initially developed to be applied within the domain of video games are currently being used in experiments to explore their meaning and possibilities for cinema and cinema audiences. In this position paper we examine how narrativity, interactivity and engagement are mutually reshaped within this new domain of media entertainment, addressing both the production and the user experience of new types of interactive cinematography. We work towards research questions that will direct our future studies and introduce the term lean in to address the kind of engagement style that applies to users within this new domain.

Interaction in Surround Video: The Effect of Auditory Feedback on Enjoyment

This study investigates whether an interactive surround video is perceived as more enjoyable when there is some auditory feedback on interactive moments. We constructed a questionnaire that measured presence, effectance, autonomy, flow, enjoyment, system usability, user satisfaction and identification, filled in by two groups of respondents who had either watched an interactive movie on Oculus Rift with feedback sounds, or a version without. Our results show that users rated presence significantly lower in the feedback condition. We rejected our hypothesis, that auditory feedback would increase the perception of effectance.

Who Are You? Voice-Over Perspective in Surround Video

With the renewed interest in VR, new questions arise for content creators, as existing cinematic practices cannot simply be transferred. In this paper, we describe two experiments investigating which voice-over perspective elicits the best sense of presence for viewers of cinematic VR content. For the first experiment different voice-over narrations in first, second and third person perspectives were added to a VR video. This test showed that viewers preferred the voice-over in second person perspective, as this provided them with the strongest sense of presence and a feeling of ‘being in the story’. In the second experiment, we used a short 360° documentary with a first person voice-over perspective, and compared it to a version of the same documentary with a second person voice-over, using a quantitative survey. In this experiment, however, no significant difference was found between the two groups of respondents. In our discussion, we explore several possible reasons that may have contributed to this outcome.

Project Orpheus A Research Study into 360° Cinematic VR

When creating content for virtual reality, filmmakers find that they need to re-evaluate the tools they have traditionally used to tell their stories, and explore the new possibilities that this particular medium has to offer. To determine how storytelling- and filmmaking tools function in VR, the concept of presence is currently being re-evaluated for its possibilities to be used as a measurement of the relative effectiveness of these tools. The research project Project Orpheus is presented as a case study into trans-medial storytelling, exploring how the impact of a traditional television show may be reinforced by an immersive VR experience. The movie was subsequently used to conduct a small qualitative study into the use of 3D sound to guide the viewers attention in VR.

Creating Video Content for Oculus Rift

In this workshop, we will first discuss previous experiences with producing and/or watching video content for Oculus Rift, or other 360° video devices. After determining the challenges and possibilities, we will works towards developing concepts for settings and stories for this particular medium.

Games for Health 2014

Improved antimicrobial prescribing is a key effort to reduce the impact of increasing antimicrobial resistance. Quality improvement programmes in antimicrobial prescribing have to ensure the continued engagement of prescribers with optimal prescribing behaviours. Serious games have been proposed to improve clinical practice and may serve to resolve some of the behavioural and social barriers influencing prescribing. We describe here the ongoing development and future evaluation of a mobile device-based serious antimicrobial prescribing game for hospital clinicians.

360° Video Storytelling and Virtual Reality Workshop

The purpose of this joint workshop is to bring together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners for focused discussion and knowledge sharing in 360° video storytelling and virtual reality.

Circus Noel: A Case Study into Interaction and Interface Design for Cinematic VR.

In this paper, we present the case study Circus Noel, a VR tight rope walking act with which the use of movement in cinematic VR was explored. We use the notion of spatial presence as discussed by Ryan, and its potential to induce an ‘illusion of non-mediation’. Seven users were interviewed about their experience. The results of this case study provide insight into the way a user’s body may be represented in cinematic VR by two moving feet, without disrupting the sense of presence.