Expect More Creative VR, Says Henry Cowling

UNIT9 creative director, Henry Cowling, has expressed his excitement for a spectrum of new creative content from the world of virtual reality.

Following the release of Henry, the second short film launched through Oculus’s in-house creative department and featuring the voice of actor Elijah Wood. This week, Cowling believes we’re witnessing an extraordinarily special time for the technology that was once thought to be dead in the water.

“I've been very impressed by Oculus' bid to become a content maker,” he says. “Just how far they go with the strategy remains to be seen, but judging by the profiles they've taken on and the work that has come out so far, it's a serious bid to make VR storytelling a mainstream reality.”

Oculus has announced a Q1 2016 consumer release date for its Oculus Rift headset and a host of other smartphone compatible devices have also launched, democratising the medium and unlocking new possibilities for brand advertisers and filmmakers as a means of entertainment.

Henry launched at a Hollywood premiere on Thursday and introduces a lovable furry hedgehog character that will no doubt become a favourite in the VR world. The movie transports viewers into his environment where they can interact with him and develop a bond.

Back in June Cowling spoke about the growing consumer demand for VR and the huge potential of spatial storytelling. Reacting to the news of the film’s release, Cowling is excited by the new creative and sees the story building element as the next step of the exciting journey.

“From the point of view of a VR creator like myself, Henry is tremendously exciting. It's been great to watch Oculus wrestle with the same challenges we all face when telling stories in VR. In a few years’ time we will look back on Henry as Oculus' own Luxo Jr. If that happens and Oculus emulates Pixar's success in content creation, it will be a major development in VR reaching an audience beyond gamers, techies and creatives.”

And looking to the future, Cowling says we should expect more from the company, and the wider industry, in the way of creative content.

“I strongly believe we will see many more releases of this sort, if not from Oculus then from other content creators,” he says. “Experimentation with narrative forms and length, as well user presence and interactivity, will drive the maturation of what will become the accepted norms of VR storytelling. We're watching the history of a medium unfold here and it's absolutely fascinating.”