Oculus' premiere of Lost has shades of Pixar's 1986 landmark release of "Luxo Jr." written all over it. Remember that one? That's where papa lamp, son lamp (Jr.) and a ball made cine-magic -- transforming movies forever via CGI (here is the link to that classic cinematic moment in time for those of you with nostalgia). And, how about this? Pixar's pedigree is all over Oculus' Lost as well. One year ago, Oculus pilfered a peck of Pixars to lead its cinema efforts under the "Story Studio" banner. So, did Oculus' "first-of-its-kind" cinematic VR "moment" deliver yesterday at Sundance? Mixed reviews -- with content-focused pub The Verge excitingly calling it "the future" of cinema, whereas tech-focused TechCrunch giving it a more tepid review of being "cute, immersive, but hardly interactive."
How does VR for cinema "work" from a story-telling perspective? Hard to imagine for sure, especially since normal notions of film simply don't work in the virtual world. As an example, Oculus Story Studio's Creative Director Saschka Unseld recently told Techcrunch that VR-driven narratives flow very differently than more linear-flowing movie streams -- with myriad rivulets that reveal themselves only when you look at particular elements. My "experience" -- as a result -- may take 4 minutes whereas yours could be 2X or 3X longer. There is no one story. It's a layer cake. Think the movie Inception -- but, YOU are the Inceptee. And you aren't just watching (with VR goggles on at this point). You are experiencing. Wow! I have spoken with many insiders in the media business who have had glimpses of Oculus in the story-telling context -- experiencing cinematic moments. And they have told me that, without question, it's a game-changer in every sense of those words (which really don't do justice to their reactions, since their minds were almost literally blown). We have entered the "great unknown" of future cinema, whatever that word means in this context. And, yesterday's premiere of Lost at Sundance was just the beginning.
So, while CEO Brendan Iribe underscores that gaming is still the company's immediate focus, make no mistake. It's showtime. And, while your mouth may be agape the first time you experience Lost, it won't be due to a hunger for popcorn.
It likely will be a reflection of shock and awe.