The transformation of the director's vision in relation to the structure of virtual space in cinema

Dobrynin Oleg Vital'evich ORCID: 0009-0005-4303-7457 Senior Educator, Department of Animation and Computer Graphics, Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. Gerasimov (VGIK) 3 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia oleg.dobrynin.70@list.ru

Any film production is based on a director's idea, which, in general, can represent intuitive outlines of a future picture. It can be either a feeling, a premonition, or a special feeling of "frames". The director internally visualizes his idea, which can later be modified, supplemented, or even completely changed compared to the original mental image. In the era of cinematic classics, the director's idea is a complex conceptual structure that integrates aspects of the scenario plan, actor's interpretation and visual implementation. Having formed in the minds of cinematographers, the idea finds life at the junction of artistic will and objective technical limitations caused by both material-spatial and temporal parameters of the film process.

Currently, humanity is on the verge of infusing virtual reality technologies into classical cinema, and this process is very interesting and unpredictable. We see individual attempts to create virtual environments in cinema using the example of some author's projects, such as, for example, the film "The Limit" by Robert Rodriguez (2018). At the FIPADOC Documentary Film Festival in Biarritz (2020), several studios were presented that demonstrated their VR projects. The modern world of cinema and virtual reality is going through an era of transformation, where the boundaries between reality and virtuality are becoming increasingly blurred. In such a dynamically developing environment, the role of the director acquires new facets, especially in the context of creating and interacting with virtual space.

This article touches on a fundamental question: how does the process of creative design of a director undergo changes during the transition from the traditional cinematic space to the world of virtual reality. The analysis presented in this article will help readers to better understand the invisible threads that connect the traditional art of cinema with the actively developing field of virtual reality.

In an attempt to understand the transformation of the director's idea in the context of virtual space, it is necessary first to pay attention to the unique evolution of the interaction between technology and cinematography. It is not so much the history of technology development as the history of changing the very concept of storytelling that is at the center of our attention.

At the beginning of the 20th century, cinema was perceived as a miracle of technology capable of capturing reality. But over time, it turned into a powerful storytelling tool, where directors began to play with elements of frame, editing and plot, creating complex and multifaceted works. This shift from a simple "reality capture" to a creative "creation of worlds" represents a fundamental shift in the director's vision.

With the development of computer technology at the end of the 20th century, the concept of virtual reality (VR) emerged, which offered another leap in storytelling capabilities.

VR not only expands the boundaries of the cinematic space, but also offers a new paradigm of interaction with the viewer. If traditional cinema assumed observation, then virtual reality invites the viewer to become a participant in the story. In this context, the story of directing in virtual reality turns out to be a story of rethinking and expanding the boundaries of storytelling. Directors are beginning to experiment not only with visual and sound effects, but also with the psychology of perception, creating complex spaces. Thus, virtual reality opens a new page in the history of cinema, where the boundaries between the real and the imaginary, the viewer and the creator are blurred, offering unprecedented opportunities for the director's idea.

It is important to note that the influence of technology on the director's idea is not limited to the technical side alone. It is also a matter of cultural and aesthetic transformations that are taking place in society. In every era, cinema reflected the spirit of the times, its hopes, fears and dreams. With the advent of virtual reality, this ability of reflection and impact has reached a new level.

In the 20th century, cinema was a kind of "window into the world", allowing viewers to experience stories that they would never have experienced in real life. With the development of special effects, color images and sound, cinema has become more immersive and visually saturated. But even with these technological advances, there was a clear boundary between the viewer and the screen. The transition to virtual reality erases this boundary. Now viewers are not just observers, but also active participants in the story. This change radically affects the director's idea. Directors have to take into account not only what the audience sees and hears, but also how they physically move and interact in virtual space. Thus, directing in virtual reality requires a new approach to creating a story where the dynamics of space and time play a key role. In this context, the evolution of directing is inevitably linked to the development of technology and socio-cultural trends. In the era of digitalization and globalization, new art forms and new ways of interacting with the audience are emerging. Virtual reality as a technology not only opens up new opportunities for filmmakers, but also acts as a mirror reflecting changes in our perception of the world and art.

Thus, the historical context of the development of cinema and virtual reality is not just a sequence of technological advances, but also a reflection of profound social and cultural changes. Considering these changes through the prism of the director's idea allows us to better understand not only the art of cinema, but also ourselves as participants in this interaction. In the context of this historical evolution, it is important to realize that each new technology contributes to the metamorphosis of storytelling. This is not just a shift in visualization techniques, but also in the basic principles of storytelling. If cinema began as a linear narrative, then virtual reality offers a multidimensional approach where the narrative can branch out and change depending on the actions and choices of the viewer. Such a change in the approach to storytelling causes drastic changes in the director's idea. Directors now have to not only tell a story, but also create a world that reacts to the viewer and changes with him. This creates unique challenges, such as developing scenarios that can adapt to different scenarios, and creating visual and sound effects that support the dynamics of the narrative.

The formation of a director's idea in classical cinema

The classic director's idea is based on the script — the primary text, which, however, is not a dogma, but rather a score involving interpretation and variations. The process of implementing the idea resembles a palimpsest, where the initial ideas are covered with layers of implementation, each of which enriches and simultaneously modifies the original creative vision. The director, interacting with actors and space, not only directs, but also is influenced by their unique properties and capabilities.

In cinematographic art, the director acts as a meta-director, synthesizing many elements into a single whole. He is faced with the need to take into account the theatricality of acting, the plasticity of space and time, as well as the specifics of the cinematic language with its unique means of expression, such as editing, framing, chiaroscuro and soundtrack. 

The influence of physical limitations of space on the creative process

The physical space of filmmaking, whether it is a studio or in-situ conditions, has a deterministic effect on artistic practice. Spatial constraints, such as the size of the pavilion, the location of the scenery and the camera access point, require the director not only logistical ingenuity, but also aesthetic adaptability. The limited space often becomes a catalyst for the creative search for new visual solutions that contribute to the generation of original cinematic images.

These limitations, taken into the piggy bank of cinematic experience, turn into creative tasks, the solution of which determines the development of the visual language of cinema. Directors, like Renaissance artists working with the laws of perspective, learn to manipulate spatial illusions, creating convincing worlds on the screen that are not subject to the limitations of real space.

Thus, the physical limitations of space embedded in the context of traditional cinema not only form the features of the director's idea, but also provide the ground for its cinematic embodiment, thereby contributing to the evolution of the cinematic language and the expansion of the boundaries of the art of cinema.

Transformation of the director's idea in virtual reality

The entry into the era of virtual reality marks a cardinal turning point in the history of directing, comparable to the transition from silent films to sound. Virtual reality, as a technologically and artistically innovative platform, allows filmmakers to realize their vision with a hitherto unprecedented scale of immersiveness and interactivity.

The construction of a director's idea in virtual reality is a process in which classical narrative structures are subjected to transgression. Virtual spaces are not just passive decorations, but active narrative agents capable of varying their characteristics and influencing the trajectory of the plot. The director of the VR space works not so much with the frame as with the field of possible actions, giving the viewer the autonomy of choice and at the same time directing his experience through a complex network of cause-and-effect relationships.

Technological tools and their impact on the structure of the virtual space

Modern technologies such as three-dimensional scanning, Motion Capture, improved artificial intelligence algorithms and computer graphics allow you to create multidimensional, deeply immersive virtual worlds. The use of these technologies in VR directing provides an opportunity for the organic integration of interactive elements that respond to user actions and choices in real time.

Virtual lighting systems such as ray tracing and global illumination create the level of realism needed for complete immersion, while voxel technologies allow the director to manipulate and transform the space dynamically, in response to user actions. The integration of audiovisual technologies with tracking the user's movements and gaze allows you to create complex sensory environments where each element is part of the director's concept.

The use of modern virtual reality editors, such as Unreal Engine and Unity, allows virtual reality directors to create complex scenarios and environments in which each object can carry a scenario value and interact with the user according to predefined or algorithmically generated patterns. Artificial intelligence-based systems such as neural networks and machine learning offer opportunities to create adaptive narratives that can change and evolve in response to input.

The possibility of using virtual reality technologies in the field of directing involves a transition from linear storytelling to non-linear, hypertextual forms of the plot, where the viewer becomes a co—author of art, and the director becomes a guide in the world of possibilities. Such multidimensionality and multi-vector nature in VR directing represent a new aesthetic that brings to life research in the field of phenomenology of perception and psychology of immersion.

The transformation of the director's idea in virtual reality is a process permeated with technological innovations and requires directors to achieve a new level of skill and interaction with the audience. In an era when the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds are becoming increasingly blurred, VR directing is turning into a frontier art that comprehends new forms of human experience and creative expression. One of the cornerstones of the transformation of the director's idea in virtual reality is interactivity, which is radically different from the passive perception of traditional cinema. The director of virtual reality becomes the creator of multivariate scenarios, where each user's choice can lead to a branching of the narrative and a change in the plot development. This requires the director not only to write various scenario lines, but also to have a deep understanding of the psychology of choice and decision-making.

Advanced VR tools such as adaptive artificial intelligence, virtual reactive environments, and programmable neural networks allow filmmakers to create complex, user-responsive worlds that were previously unattainable. The use of virtual reality technologies such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony PlayStation VR provides the user with a feeling of complete immersion through motion tracking, stereoscopic video and 3D audio.

Advances in visual effects programming and virtual modeling algorithms allow filmmakers to create hyperrealistic textures and models that reproduce complex physical interactions and phenomena in detailed virtual spaces. Technologies such as photogrammetry and lidar scanning make it possible to capture and recreate real locations with a high degree of accuracy, transferring them to a virtual space.

VR directing requires the development of a new cinematic grammar. Elements such as editing, framing, and composition take on new meanings in the context of VR. For example, editing is no longer limited to combining frames into a sequence, but becomes a tool for controlling the user's attention and navigation in three-dimensional space. Cinematic composition in VR can be enriched through the use of 360-degree shooting, giving the user the freedom of viewing and choosing the focus point.

Thus, virtual reality offers directors the opportunity to redefine the role of the viewer, who is no longer a static observer, but becomes an active participant in the virtual narrative. In this new era, filmmakers explore the depths of human consciousness and psychology, using VR technology to create experimental art that interweaves reality and virtuality, offering unprecedented forms of emotional and sensory interaction. Virtual reality is becoming not only a new means of expressing the director's idea, but also a powerful tool for exploring new forms of cinematic language and art.

Examples of using visual effects from modern film projects

The film "Doctor Strange" is an excellent example of using visual effects to expand the possibilities of storytelling. Director Scott Derrickson manipulates visual space in such a way that the laws of physics obey the will of the protagonist, which allows the viewer to rethink their ideas about reality.

Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" is another example of a film in which the director uses both modern and traditional technologies to create an exciting and science—based depiction of space travel. Nolan combines physically constructed scenery with computer graphics to create a unique visual representation of black holes and five-dimensional space.

Continuing the theme of innovations in directing, let's pay attention to VR experiments that not only redefine the role of the director, but also offer a new look at the structure of the narrative and perception of a cinematic work. The film "Ready Player One" directed by Steven Spielberg is one of the notable attempts to transfer the viewer into a multi-layered virtual world. Spielberg uses VR not only as a plot element, but also as a means to develop characters and explore the theme of reality versus virtuality. Visualization and computer modeling technologies allow you to create impressive and memorable visual images that enhance the dynamism and tension of the narrative.

Examples to study from VR projects

"Notes on Blindness" is a VR adaptation of the documentary of the same name, which immerses the user into the world of a person who has lost his sight through immersive sound design and minimalistic visualization. This project demonstrates how VR can be used to create deeply personal and emotional experiences, exploring new frontiers of empathy and understanding.

VRChat is a platform that, although not a director's project in the traditional sense, is a virtual space where users can create their own worlds and scenarios. This is an example of a social virtual space that provides users with tools to realize their own directorial vision in a VR environment.

The Spheres project by Eliza McNitt is a series of interactive VR experiences that allow viewers to explore space at a new level of interaction, taking them to worlds where they can "touch" the stars and planets. Here, the director's work is focused on creating a synesthetic experience, where vision, hearing and even touch are intertwined into a single texture of perception.

The VR project "The Tempest" from Magic Leap company is an interactive theatrical performance where the audience becomes participants in the performance, moving around the stage and interacting with the actors and the surrounding space. This project illustrates how VR can transform traditional art forms by providing filmmakers with new means to create immersive experiences.

With the development of machine vision and augmented reality technologies, filmmakers are beginning to experiment with new forms of visual storytelling that bring VR elements to the physical world. Projects such as "Magic Leap One" open up new perspectives for creating augmented reality layers that enrich the traditional viewing of films or theatrical productions.

Immersive cinematic Art as a new frontier of directing

The growing popularity of immersive theater and cinema brings new concepts to the discourse about directing, where the boundaries between reality and art become almost indistinguishable. Projects such as "Sleep No More", although not strictly VR projects, inspire VR directors to create continuous, multifaceted storylines where each viewer becomes a unique participant in the story.

Modern cinematic and VR projects show that filmmakers are finding new ways to realize their ideas, using technological innovations to deepen the immersiveness and interactivity of storytelling. The creation of virtual worlds, the development of multi—perspective narratives and the use of interactive storytelling open up new horizons for the director, where the audience becomes active participants in the story, and technology becomes a brush in the hands of the director.

Innovative approaches in directing, especially in the field of VR, open up opportunities for filmmakers to create new forms of storytelling that are significantly different from traditional cinema. From complex sci-fi epics to intimate personal research, from augmented reality to full immersion in interactive environments, modern filmmakers continue to explore and expand the possibilities of cinema and VR, offering audiences not just new content, but also new ways to interact with art. These approaches not only strengthen the role of the director as an innovator and researcher, but also emphasize the inevitability of integrating technological progress into the cinematic language of the future.

Comparative analysis of traditional and VR approaches in cinema

A comparative analysis of traditional and virtual approaches in directing reveals fundamental differences in the interpretation of the director's idea, the use of technology and the involvement of the audience. Traditional cinema and virtual reality offer different paradigms for the creation and perception of cinematic works, each of which has its own unique capabilities and limitations.

As described above, in traditional cinema, the director acts as the main narrator who controls the visual and narrative structure of the film. This is a linear narrative where the viewer assumes the passive role of an observer following a predetermined story. The director uses the camera as a tool to direct the viewer's gaze, choosing angles, composition and editing to form an impression and convey emotions. Virtual reality, on the contrary, provides the viewer with an active participant role. The director here is rather the curator of the experience, creating the world and determining possible interactions, but not completely controlling the viewer's point of view. In VR, spatial perception and the possibility of physical interaction of the environment bring a new degree of immersion and require the director to take a more complex approach to the plot and the world order.

The table provides a comparative analysis of these two approaches:

When comparing traditional and virtual approaches to directing, we see a shift from a standardized narrative to a personalized experience. While traditional cinema is designed to broadcast a single story to a wide audience, virtual reality offers an individual experience that expands the boundaries of interaction and perception. Directors of both art directions continue to explore and adapt their techniques to achieve the most powerful emotional impact, taking into account the technological capabilities and expectations of the audience.

The aesthetics of traditional cinema is formed through cinematic techniques such as light, shadow, color and composition, which affect the psychological perception of the viewer. VR aesthetics also includes a sense of space, perspective, and scale, which can trigger more intense physiological and psychological reactions such as dizziness or a sense of presence.

Traditional and virtual approaches to directing represent two different aesthetic and philosophical paradigms, each of which offers unique opportunities for creating and perceiving art. On the one hand, traditional cinema continues to impress with its visual beauty and narrative depth. On the other hand, VR offers a new level of interaction and immersion that could redefine our understanding of storytelling. Filmmakers and filmmakers continue to explore these differences by creating works that remain true to the fundamentals of art, while at the same time opening up new horizons for creativity and expression.

The analysis of the influence of virtual space on the viewer's perception reveals the complex processes of psychological interaction between a person and a virtual environment. Virtual reality, being a synthetic environment created programmatically, has a multifaceted effect on the perception and psychology of the user.

The psychological perception of virtual reality covers a wide range of emotional and cognitive reactions. Presence, or the feeling of being inside a virtual world, is a key factor in the VR experience. Sensory immersion and VR interactivity can evoke feelings of absorption and empathy far beyond those experienced when watching traditional movies. On the other hand, VR can also cause negative reactions, such as cyberbullying, resulting from a mismatch between visual perception and the physical sensation of movement. In addition, the intensity of the virtual experience can affect the sensitivity and receptivity of viewers to the content, which requires a more responsible approach to the design of the virtual space. The virtual space provides viewers with unique opportunities to interact and immerse themselves in the story, significantly expanding the boundaries of their experience. This, in turn, affects the psychological perception of reality and requires the creators of VR content to have a deep understanding of both the possibilities and limitations of the human psyche. The development of virtual reality technologies will continue to enrich the visual and sensory experience, offering new challenges and opportunities for exploring human perception and interaction.

Virtual reality, with its ability to manipulate space and time, provides filmmakers with the tools to create more complex and profound psychological experiences. Immersion in the virtual world can cause viewers to experience states of heightened emotional reactivity, including intense fear, joy, or surprise. This level of engagement opens up new perspectives for the therapeutic use of VR, for example, in the treatment of phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where virtual scenarios are used to safely recreate and process traumatic situations.

Interaction in a virtual space is not limited only to interaction with a virtual environment; it also includes social interaction with other users. VR platforms such as VRChat or AltspaceVR provide users with the opportunity to meet and communicate in virtual spaces, creating new forms of social interaction and community. This fundamentally changes the understanding of social connections and provides filmmakers with the opportunity to explore social dynamics in controlled virtual environments.

Viewers in virtual reality can experience perceptual adaptation, a process in which the brain gets used to new conditions of perception, which can affect the physical sensation of movement and space even after leaving the virtual space. Immersive adaptation is the ability of the psyche to integrate virtual experiences, making them part of a person's cognitive and emotional experience, which can have long—term consequences for perception and psychology.

Ethical Considerations in VR Directing

When working with virtual reality, new ethical issues arise regarding content and the impact on the viewer. It is important that VR content directors are aware of the potential impact of their work and strive to create responsible and meaningful content that takes into account the psychological well-being and personal boundaries of viewers. Virtual space provides unique opportunities for interaction and psychological impact, opening up new research paths in the field of human perception and social psychology. Directors working in this environment are responsible for creating an experience that not only immerses the viewer, but also consciously takes into account the impact of virtual space on a person.

As we enter a new era of digital innovation, the future of directing in the virtual space promises radical transformations, both in technological aspects and in the art of storytelling itself.

Forecasts of the development of VR technologies and their impact on directing

The speed of development of VR technologies indicates that in the near future we will see a significant improvement in the quality of virtual graphics, reaching a level close to reality. Developments in the field of holographic display and tactile feedback will open up new horizons for immersive filmmaking, where viewers will be able not only to see, but also to feel virtual objects.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will play a key role in creating dynamic stories that can adapt and change depending on the user's interaction with the virtual space. Such systems will allow VR directors to create more complex and personalized stories.

One of the most significant innovations may be the full integration of virtual and augmented reality (AR) into everyday life, which will allow cinema to go beyond screens and become part of the physical world of viewers. This could lead to the creation of a new genre of "live cinema" where viewers will interact with characters and events in real time and space. Further development of virtual lighting and real-time rendering technologies will allow directors to experiment with visual effects and lighting with unlimited freedom, enhancing the emotional response of the audience and creating more expressive and emotionally intense scenes.

The future of directing in the virtual space promises to rethink traditional approaches to making films. The opportunities provided by the development of technology promise not only to improve the visual and sensory aspects of cinema, but also the development of new forms of storytelling in which viewers will become active participants in the creation of the plot. Directing in a virtual space will require creators not only to have technical skills, but also a deep understanding of human experience in order to create works that affect viewers in new and unexpected ways.

What lies ahead is not just the evolution of technology, but also a revolution in the very approach to directing, where the boundaries between reality and the artificial virtual world will become increasingly blurred.

With the development of augmented reality (XR) technologies, it is expected that the future of directing will bring elements of virtual interaction into everyday life. Directors will be able to create works in which virtual objects and characters exist in the real world, providing viewers with a new level of interaction and immersion.

In the future, new roles and specializations in the field of directing may appear, such as VR screenwriters, interactive storytelling specialists and virtual interaction designers. These specialists will work at the intersection of technology and creativity, creating complex virtual worlds and scenarios that respond to user actions and emotions.

Biometric technologies and neural interfaces can allow virtual space directors to adapt the user's experience in real time, responding to physiological indicators such as heart rate, gaze, and even brain activity. This will create the opportunity for a deeper psychological impact and a personalized experience.

The future of directing will also entail a discussion of the ethical and social aspects of virtual reality. It will be important to take into account the impact of virtual content on personality and psychology, as well as on social relations and ideas about privacy. As virtual reality becomes more integrated into everyday life, filmmaking will continue to adapt, offering new forms for the development of art and expanding the boundaries of traditional cinema.

At the end of this study, we will summarize the results of studying the transformation of the director's idea in the era of digital technologies and virtual reality. Virtual reality carries the potential for dramatic changes in directing. From traditional cinema, where the director is the ruler of the narrative and visual series, we move on to a new interaction between the viewer and the virtual space, where the viewer becomes an active participant and co-author of the story.  Directing in virtual reality involves a deeper understanding of the psychology of perception and a willingness to experiment with new means of technological and artistic impact. As a result, the future of virtual cinema and the role of the director in it will be determined not only by technological advances, but also by the industry's ability to adapt to changes in cultural and social norms, new ways of perceiving and interpreting content, as well as changes in the expectations and needs of the audience.

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