Impact of virtual reality technology on the entertainment industry
Movies exist today because of virtual reality technology, if not for the invention and momentary advancement of a camera and projection systems, movies would not have been as impactful as they are today. When we watch a film like The Avengers in 3D, we get immersed into a world that is not real, but it becomes real for us until the film lasts, all of this is made possible by a concentrated balance of high-tech audio-visual devices.
Just watch an old movie if you really want to contrast between the film quality, we have in the contemporary times to that what the generation before us did. From old cellular devices to a modern bezel-less I Phone, from the giant CRT television sets of the past to the modern LED displays, technology has revolutionized the video watching experience drastically. This advancement is not just limited to the movie watching experience alone, but also how it is delivered to the audience, or more specifically the means through which it is delivered.
With the emergence of streaming as a appropriate alternative to cable and satellite TV, some feel that it is easier than ever for independent filmmakers and content creators to get their voice heard as we live in the "YouTube generation" today where all we need to get recognition is a social media platform like Youtube, Facebook or Instagram, by which it has the potential to get instant views and numerous hits. Hence, no person with talent needs to be judged at a reality show on how good or bad they sing, instead they can reach out to their audience directly without all that hassle and let them decide the same.
Artists can also utilize DSLR camera systems for filming music videos for their songs, and then edit it on an application like Adobe Premier Pro, then further color correct it in Davinci Resolve and master the audio in Pro Tools. These software applications have only seen great development within the existing decade as the UI for most of the filmmaking software have gotten more user-friendly, thereby empowering a normal individual to produce various multimedia content with ease.
It is amazing, really, how drastically technology has altered human experience, we have VR (virtual reality) for example, where an individual can wear specific eye gear which blocks his vision as a whole to depict a particular place or landscape on a whole 360-degree level. hence creating a virtual environment with infinite possibilities in terms of what the viewer can experience visually, a technology this powerful can quite literally alter our reality for the duration it lasts, or for the time it is utilized by any given user.
In terms of advertising, there has always existed visual aid like banners, posters and video advertisements which have been utilized to pitch a product or service to a particular niche, though traditionally this process was rather expensive where advertisers mostly relied on print media like banners, transit ads, outdoor-indoor ads and so on for reach out to their audience, in today's society one can market masses of visual multimedia content by the help on digital marketing techniques. With the evolution of internet, various film and entertainment companies can now reach out to their target audience via social media and internet advertising, unlike how marketing traditionally worked for films when companies needed to purchase screen time and for television advertising by paying thousands of dollars, if not millions. In today's time the same organization can reach out to an ever-wider audience by investing only quarter of the price from what was invested before.
A rapid improvement in drone technologies has also helped low budget and indie filmmakers to get high quality aerial shots as before this could have only been made possibly by mounting the camera on a helicopter, something only big studios could afford, while drones are relatively cheaper and more convenient that offer more stable shots and a crisp image.
3D rendering programs like 3Ds Max and Maya have made it easier for designers and filmmakers to execute their visions within a digital domain, offering them a land of practically infinite possibilities where one can create whatever they imagine. 3D printing has helped massively to turn those digital creations into real objects. Film studios are creating anything from large full-scale sets to something as small as a night vision goggle, and some are even thinking of creating tanks and spaceships with the aid of this technology.
There are ample examples around us which prove that modern technology has complimented the movie making process in a massive way, thereby making it easier than ever for filmmakers to achieve their vision and in the process changing the ethics of the film business drastically. It is safe to assume that this change will be for the good of the Entertainment industry and will also continue to empower content creators by providing economic means to execute their vision.
Author Bio Sai Sharma Multimedia designer and Art Director at Sai Unicorn Multimedia
