This scene was originally going to be a UI 'menu' type screen which let you select which animation you wanted to experience in VR, It would display each animation in a 2D format, in order to strengthen the contrast between 2D animation and VR interactive animation. I considered using Quill to animate the scene emerging from the original 2D animation, engulfing the viewer.
Once I changed my idea to only present one 2D animation brought to life by VR interactive animation, rather than a few different ones, it left me thinking this 'menu' scene was redundant. However, upon reassessment I realised that the original 2D animation must still presented and 'entered', thus a starting scene was necessary.
By placing my original animation within a 3D 'gallery' type setting it allowed a few things to happen:
- A gallery space is designed around strengthening or focussing a viewer on an artwork, this meant that by using this context, I almost guide the viewer to be purely focussed on my original animation.
- It adds ambience/intrigue without distraction from the animation
By presenting the original animation in the strongest context, it further exemplifies the strength of VR as an immersive animation medium.
I tested this further by placing 3D objects/animations around the gallery scene, in order to provide more of a journey to the viewer, as well as adding intrigue. I really liked being able to view the pieces of the interactive animation in one singular context, however, I found that it took away from the original animation, since the viewer would be naturally more drawn to the 3D animated objects. For this reason I decided to remove the 3D demonstrations from the scene entirely. I found that this also increased the contrast between scenes.
I did, however decide to keep this 'gallery' idea, instead placing it at the end of the experience for a moment of reflection. This meant that rather than ruining the surprise by showing you the animations at the start, it was more like a 'behind the scenes' at the end.
Once I was left with the simple 2D animation, I decided the scene should simply display this animation and allow the viewer to enter it, while also acclimatising them to the controls and movement. I also discovered how to place images into VR, allowing me to display the original article which my 2D animation was formed off. (below)
Written word: The viewer reads the original article on foxes drinking brake fluid
2D animation: The viewer watched the original narrative animation based off the article
3D VR interactive experience: The viewer enters the 2D animation, and it comes to life around them.
Having these 3 steps not only displays the immersive capabilities of VR, but also provides a more clear understanding of how the final piece was formed.
This was why I ended up limiting the 3D elements of this scene, in order to heighten the contrast of 2D to 3D when the viewer enters the experience.