To create the most haunted with less. By limiting the users' field of view to a single door frame, I design a haunted house experience with visual and audio suspension. I use this project as an experiment to reinterpret film techniques in virtual reality. Inspired by the effective film languages of the thriller genre, I reapply them in building up this VR experience based on my passion and expertise in making live-action narrative films. Those techniques include dramatic lightings, composition, non-digestive sound effect, false alarms, etc.
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE the audience to experience this project in a VR headset. There is no way to experience the immersive suspension and fear built into the project without a VR headset.
WINDOW AS A STAGE
I was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954). He uses only one apartment window to tell a murder story so I use the door frame as "the stage" of the performance. For example, I design the plot where the zombie doctor walking towards the viewer. In VR, viewer's perception is in line with the perception VR provides so the audience’s perception of distance will be enlarged. As the zombie is getting closer and closer, a tension which is unique to VR is gradually built up.
LEVEL DESIGN
The key of creating "infinite" space is to block the viewers from seeing the end of the hallway. In the level design, I design two "infinite" hallways, one closer, the other farther away from the viewer.
TIMELINE
The timeline is made of multiple tracks of character animations, 2D and 3D audios, and objects activation tracks. The last ones are used to create the three power down moments. You feel the most scared, when you can't see. When lights are shut in movie, you see the frame of your monitor. When lights are shut in VR, you can't see anything.
