Perspective; Chapter Two: The Misdemeanor

By: Brittany Nicole La Hue

The notion of “virtual reality for social good” is a current controversial hot topic in the tech, VR, entertainment and nonprofit spheres. Virtual reality engenders empathy, so does putting someone in a first-person perspective help promote understanding and prevent tragedies before they happen? Or are these experiences traumatizing, turning people off from immersion? Even worse, are they seen as light “entertainment,” detracting from the actual serious issues?

Attendees at SXSW 2016 will have a chance to find out. The renowned SXSW Interactive Festival returns to Austin, TX in March 2016 and has touted virtual reality as one of the hot topics of the year. The “Cause & FX: The Good and the Bad of VR for Causes” panel will feature CEO and founder of virtual reality studio Specular Theory Morris May, VR and animation studio Reel FX’s Kevin Althans, “The Godmother of Virtual Reality” Nonny de la Pena and AT&T Executive Director of Brand Marketing, Management and Advertising Michelle Kuckelman speaking on the controversial topic of VR for causes. The panel with be on the SXGood track and featured on the Next Stage, which is open to all attendees (Interactive, Film and Music).

Many recent VR experiences that have garnered media attention this year have been tied in with causes. Dallas/Santa Monica-based Reel FX partnered with AT&T to create a VR experience for the mobile network’s award-winning “It Can Wait” campaign. In the simulation, viewers drive a car through residential neighborhoods and busy streets, stopping just before bicyclists, children crossing the street on the way to school and joggers while on the phone – resulting in an devastating occurrence that can’t be taken back.

Venice, California-based virtual reality studio Specular Theory stunned attendees at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival with the premiere of their experience “Perspective; Chapter One: The Party,” which follows the events leading up to a sexual assault at a college party. This year, Specular Theory returns to Sundance 2016 with the next installment in the series, “Perspective; Chapter Two: The Misdemeanor.” This incredibly timely and relevant VR film highlights an interaction between two men and a police officer, and a simple misdemeanor that quickly spirals out of control.

Award-winning immersive journalist and the “godmother of virtual reality” Nonny de la Peña has placed viewers both in the middle of a terrorist bombing in Syria in “Project Syria” and in line at a food bank in “Hunger in Los Angeles.”

Cause-related VR delivers a strong message and can act as a moving call to action. However, its true effects on society and behavior have yet to be known. The SXSW panel should engender much discussion, critical analysis and new perspective on how virtual reality can change the field of cause marketing – for better or for worse.

“It Can Wait”

“Project Syria”