Chinese director plans virtual reality romance

BEIJING -- Critically acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke says he will make a virtual-reality film next year with a romantic story as he and viewers get used to the new medium.

The director, known for films that depict China's social changes and acts of violence, said the short film would be a gentle romance, as "it takes time for people to feel comfortable" in virtual reality.

"The speed and direction of movements may make people feel physically uncomfortable, so we're starting with a romantic story," he said.

Virtual-reality consists largely of video games, but film festivals are beginning to showcase virtual-reality films as directors venture into the new medium. It offers a much more solitary experience.

VR requires a headset that blocks out your surroundings and lets you wander through a story in a different world -- by moving a few steps in various directions or sitting on a swivel chair and moving your body to look around a 360-degree scene.

The fake environment often is realistic, but movie makers still are trying to work out how to tell a story in virtual reality.

"I am still learning about VR and trying to understand it at the moment, but I'm very interested in this new technology which lets us view space from different angles," Jia said Saturday.

It also gives the audience more power as they choose what to watch.

"In the past, the audience could only imagine the world inside and outside the frame," he said. "VR liberates an audience and allows people to independently choose what we want to be concerned with. Audiences become more important."

"Today, we can divert our attention from the close-up shot in a traditional film that we had to watch in the past," Jia added. "I think it's a brand new and valuable idea."