In depth: Future of cinema - Entering a multiverse of immersive & soul-stirring experiences

Recently, CJ 4DPLEX, a next-gen cinema technology company, announced that Marvel Studios’ ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ will be debuting in the visually immersive 270-degree panoramic ScreenX theatres worldwide from May 6. ScreenX provides moviegoers a 270-degree viewing experience by expanding the scene onto the side walls. It is said to be the world’s first multi-projection immersive cinematic platform.

“By expanding specially selected film sequences onto the left and right-side walls of the auditorium, ScreenX surrounds and transports moviegoers into the story and action of the film. CJ 4DPLEX worked closely with Marvel Studios and the filmmakers to ensure the highest quality presentation of the action adventure to guarantee an immersive, 270-degree panoramic viewing experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere,” the Seoul-headquartered company, which has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, said in a release issued.

CJ 4DPLEX’s CEO, Jongryul Kim, claims that ScreenX audiences will be transported into another universe with ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. 4DX provides film enthusiasts with a ‘multi-sensory cinema-going experience’, allowing them to connect with movies through motion, vibration, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents, and other special effects that enhance the visuals on-screen.

Welcome to the future of cinema, where the amalgamation of multiple techniques promises the audience an immersive experience, which will surpass the sensory capabilities assured by the theatres of our times. The future of cinema seeks to transcend the narrow precincts of what we have experienced as entertainment until now. The idea is to fully envelop and engage the audience in the story by pushing traditional notions of imaging, sound, and overall experience.

What is in store in India? Will we get to experience films inside well-designed theatres that promise an immersive experience any time sooner? Adgully seeks to comprehend the various aspects of this topic.

“The future of cinema will be decided by the evolving tastes of the audience,” says producer Anand Pandit. Adding further, he said, “What will, however, remain constant regardless of changing formats and technologically aided immersive experiences is the power of good story-telling. As audiences, we are already enjoying entertainment that ranges from blockbusters aided by 3-D imagery to human stories that transcend language and geographical barriers and change the way we process life. I feel the future of entertainment is going to be even more diverse, borderless and transportive and yet ultimately rooted in the human condition.”

Future of cinema is about choices for the audience, not only with format and platforms, but also in content, with multiple different beginnings, endings, combination of languages, choices of backdrops and locations, and mixed reality, says filmmaker-writer-director-producer Nilakshi Sengupta.

SoCheers Films director Jitendra Hirawat notes, “Good stories, told skilfully, have always been successful in transporting the audience to a different world, and cinema is obviously a key example of it.”

According to him, the film industry has been on a journey to perfect this art of “transportation” and provide a more immersive experience.

Hirawat feels that given the scale of technological execution needed for this, the theatre industry might see a boost and ignite a renewed interest from the audience. “I believe that the integration of the technology would provide some amazing results when combined with the large-scale viewing experience of movie theatres,” he adds.

AR and VR

Extended Reality, with the amalgamation of VR, AR, and Mixed Reality, will offer a compelling cinematic and immersive experience.

TV producer Binaiferr Kohli feels that VR and AR along with well-designed digital dome theatres will bring people back to the theatre and give a new boost to the film industry.

During the pandemic, says Pandit, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a bouquet of other technologies helped production crews to shoot films even in the face of travel restrictions.

“In the future, we will see the increasing use of technology not just in how audiences experience films, but in how they are made. Technology has always advanced and expanded the scale and depth of entertainment right from the time cinema was first invented to the arrival of television, OTT streamers and easy accessibility of global content at the touch of a button. Content is already becoming personalised according to individual preferences, but as someone who grew up thinking of cinema as a community-driven experience, I hope it never loses its ability to bring people together. Technology just cannot define how stories are told or shared. There is a lot of power in simplicity as well, and I hope we retain our ability to appreciate it,” Pandit explains.

What started with 3D movies being an innovation has now come to 4D as the norm, says Jitendra Hirawat. “So, I won’t be surprised if the next step is the seamless integration of AR and VR technology into cinema, where watching a movie won’t just be about seeing it or feeling it, but experiencing it. While entering a movie theatre with a pair of 3D glasses, it’s not difficult to visualise a future, not too far away, where we might be doing the same with a pair of AR/VR headsets,” he adds.

“Right now,” adds Pandit, “we are seeing larger-than-life films supported by AR and VR scoring big at the global box-office; but at the same time, pure human narratives are also doing well.”

“You can’t say that a film like ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ or ‘KGF-Chapter 2’ were purely driven by special effects. The human core of a story will always remain important even if we are watching a film in a digital dome,” he asserts.

Explaining VR and AR in detail, Nilakshi Sengupta says that AR augments the real-world scene whereas VR creates completely immersive virtual environments. “AR is 25% virtual and 75% real, while VR is 75% virtual and 25% real. In AR, no headset is needed, on the other hand in VR, you need headset device. With AR, end-users are still in touch with the real world while interacting with virtual objects nearer to them, but by using VR technology, VR user is isolated from the real world and immerses himself in a completely fictional world. We are already experiencing AR, in gaming particularly, and in advertising as well. In many a corporate presentation. In a few Hollywood tech heavy films. Where we find text and graphics added on to the live action sections. Medical science has been using VR for a while now,” Sengupta points out.

The problem with VR and AR, as opposed to cinema, is that they are experienced alone, says ‘Love In Ukraine’ writer-director Nitin Kumar Gupta. “You can sit in your home with a AR headset and watch a movie in a virtual theatre in a Metaverse, but it will not come anywhere close to being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded viewers in theatres,” he states.

Gupta, however, adds that AR and VR will have a niche audience for very specific kinds of cinema. “I see AR and VR making incredible progress in things like gaming, remote surgery, training, defence, etc.”

According to Gupta, VR and AR will only be considered gimmicks with a giddy first-time experience, but the audience will fall back on what they love the most – good blockbuster entertainment.

India has a long way to go, feels Nilakshi Sengupta, adding, “A fully equipped AR-VR theatre is expensive. The first one had opened in Amsterdam in 2016. Other cities like London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Madrid were to follow. India has a long way to go.”

Touching upon India’s disadvantages, Nilakshi Sengupta says that unlike China, India doesn’t yet have enough traditional theatres in the first place. “China has over 82,000 screens, as per a 2021 report. India has just about 10,000 single screens and is projected to have 4,500 screens in multiplexes by 2024. Our ROI in traditional films is less, thanks to the smaller number of traditional theatres. In the past, many films did not even find a release. That is also the reason why Hollywood films used to release in China first and then in India,” he says.

Now, in the post-Covid times, with the streamers plus the combination of convenience and cost, it will take time for the audience to return to theatres. Until and unless it is worth the experience, adds Sengupta. “Creating a cinema theatre that enables VR, AR and mixed reality is much more expensive. So are the VR glasses/ headsets. Hygiene awareness will not allow sharing them. This also means increase in ticket costs or having your own VR glasses that are currently quite expensive. But then again will the calibration of all theatres match with my personal glasses? Creating these films are also very expensive and technically complicated. I doubt if that will happen very soon in India,” she adds.

VR for entertainment, argues Sengupta, is at a nascent stage in India in terms of creation. “First of all, there is a need for shooting 360-degree cameras. Editing is very complicated with stitching and stabilising shots. Combination of 4K-6K material. Plus, 2D and 3D options and multiple layers of audio files. Watching VR clips is not for the faint-hearted. Watching for more than three minutes at a stretch can make a viewer nauseous. But VR is great for travel content. One can be completely transported to any location. It is very immersive and impactful.”

Metaverse

Will the arrival of Metaverse change the dynamics of the future movie-watching experience, eventually enveloping the audience in the story completely?

According to Jitendra Hirawat, Metaverse is being used for several innovative applications – to hold virtual weddings, celebrities like Daler Mehndi buying virtual land there, concerts being enjoyed, and more.

“Sooner or later, the cinema and theatre industry has to join the bandwagon and step into the future. This could mark the beginning of an altogether different level of film-making and story-telling, not to mention the immersive viewing experience for the audiences,” says Hirawat.

Metaverse integrates physical and virtual elements and users find themselves in an entirely different universe, says Anand Pandit.

“For cinema, the Metaverse will change how filmmakers create content and how audiences consume it. Shoots can now unfold in a virtual world in the absence of ideal locations and audiences may also not need to go to the theatre to watch a film but experience it via their avatars. In fact, ;KGF: Chapter 2’, already has a ‘KGFverse’ for fans, and more makers will in the future explore this entirely new territory,” explains Pandit.

On the other hand, Nitin Kumar Gupta thinks Metaverse is a wrong concept for cinema. According to him, “It is perfect for gaming, and for the social network. But for cinema, it just does nothing. Unless it brings in something so mind-boggling that turns the cinema viewing experience on its head.”

Metaverse is not new, says Nilakshi Sengupta pointing out that advertising has used it for a while, creating animation films and characters.

“Gaming is using it extensively today. And that is interactive already. It had already involved storytelling since the beginning of this century. Gaming is a sphere which will see tremendous growth in India. It will become more innovative, too. We cannot say the same for cinema yet. But my personal belief is that the cinema theatres and gaming can merge. And that might draw more audience than just those coming to watch movies. Yes, that will be the future of entertainment, education, and tourism,” Sengupta concludes.

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