Witness Celestial Motion: A Dance With the Stars Through VR

Virtual reality has always captured the interest of video game developers and players. While VR easily found a foothold in this sector, it quickly became apparent that the technology can also do wonders in one vital human need – storytelling.

The art of telling stories has been the cornerstone of every culture around the world. Today’s media, whether movies or journalism, has pushed storytelling to new heights. The advent of virtual reality has also caused the way we look at the news to evolve. The technology now allows media companies to report the story in a more immersive manner.

A New Form of Storytelling

It’s not surprising that some newspaper and magazine organisations are already utilising this new technology by offering 360 degree and Virtual Reality videos of particular news reports. Groups like The New York Times, the Huffington Post, and the Al Jazeera have released mesmerising VR videos like “Ivory Burn,” “Pencils of Promise” and “Hajj 360” respectively. As their titles imply, “Ivory Burn” and “Hajj 360” delved into topics like Kenya’s ivory trade and the sacred pilgrimage of Muslims. Meanwhile, “Pencils of Promise” is the product of a global community striving to provide people with access to good education, which is a fundamental human right.

Another company that has embraced VR is the Guardian. It has also released its own VR film – “6×9: Solitary Confinement.” It’s a compelling look into what life is like when you’re in solitary confinement in a 6×9 cell.

However, the news organisation isn’t just focusing on severe and demanding topics as evidenced by its recent offering – Celestial Motion. The Guardian’s newest VR film could be considered as a perfect merger of science and art. Celestial Motion combines modern dance with motion-capture technology to bring to life humankind’s relationship with the sun.

Dancing With Celestial Bodies

Celestial Motion is a VR 360 film produced by the Guardian and its in-house virtual reality studio and in association with the Alexander Whitley Dance Company and Sadler’s Wells. It delves into people’s relationship with the centre of our solar system, the sun. The piece was mostly inspired by solar physics – the study of the essential processes of this massive star.

The film is also an adaptation of “8 Minutes,” an original stage performance of Whitley’s dance troupe. The dance master took his cue from the eight minutes it takes for the sun’s light to hit our planet. He worked with the scientists of the STFC RAL Space to better understand the intensity of the forces that moulded our universe. He then used what he learned to try and conjure an image of this power using his dancers’ talents.

In Celestial Motion, viewers are placed in the midst of a cosmic backdrop where they can see the dancers use their talents to mimic the movement of the stars through VR. Interestingly, the performers can be seen performing their dances as ethereal digitised personas and in their human bodies.

The film is an excellent collaboration between the Guardian and Whitley. Like the news company, Whitley’s studio has taken the exploration of “new creative possibilities” introduced by digital technology as a solid guiding principle. Whitley has even admitted to being “excited by what dance has to bring to this new platform as I am by the opportunity it presents for creating and experiencing new forms of dance performance.”

Building the Heavens

The Guardian’s newest foray into VR films is also groundbreaking in several ways. First, the clip was developed in two parts. The dancers were first recorded in YouTube Space’s London studio, a sprawling 360 green-screen establishment.

Meanwhile, the virtual world of space was made by filming the dancers as they went through their choreography while wearing motion capture suits. Filming was also done at the Queen Mary University of London, a place that Whitley holds dear, being an artist fellow of the esteemed school.

While Whitley handled the more esoteric aspect of the film, the Guardian’s own VR team managed the technical side. The group collaborated with Luca Biada, the lead developer and creative technologist of production studio FENYCE, to ensure that Celestial Motion was brought to fruition. Meanwhile, award-winning video artist Tal Rosner lent his expertise and designed the film’s graphics.

A film’s sound has always been vital in capturing emotions. Luckily, electroacoustic genius Daniel Wohl was on hand to help with Celestial Motion’s film score. Some remarkable images of the sun and stars captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory provided the perfect backdrop to evoke the movement of the stars through VR.

How to View This Cosmic Dance

Celestial Motion is best viewed on the YouTube 360 application using a Google cardboard headset. Audiences will undoubtedly be happy to discover that they don’t need very expensive headgear to enjoy a truly immersive experience.

Those who want to watch it on their desktop will require the latest version of their web browsers to access YouTube 360 better. Meanwhile, individuals who prefer viewing the film on their mobile devices should download the video-sharing application.

Once the YouTube app has been downloaded or accessed, the Celestial Motion film can be downloaded using the Guardian VR app. The application is free to download on both the Android and iOS stores.

There’s also a fully interactive version available on the Guardian VR app running on the Daydream platform. Using this particular mode will allow users to switch between both the real and virtual worlds. Interested parties can also download the news company’s VR app either from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that VR has already changed today’s media. While full-length VR movies are expected to happen, people can also expect VR journalism to become more mainstream. News agencies like the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian are showing that this new medium can give viewers a deeper insight into today’s critical issues. The release of the Guardian’s latest piece, Celestial Motion, also proves that the combination of art, science and technology is a VR force to be reckoned.