Awaken: Dreaming in VR
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Purpose
Master’s Thesis Project
Objective
To recreate my recurring dreams for other people’s comsumption
Tools
Unity, After Effects, Premiere, Samsung Gear VR headset
Master’s Thesis Project
Objective
To recreate my recurring dreams for other people’s comsumption
Tools
Unity, After Effects, Premiere, Samsung Gear VR headset
Statement
Awaken is a video experience in VR where the storyteller recreated personal dreams and sleep experiences from her past.
Using 360 videos and photos, the viewer is led through a sequence of dreams that simulates a night of drifting in and out of consciousness and subconsciousness.
Link to project page on NYU ITP.
Link to project on the Samsung VR app.
Awaken is a video experience in VR where the storyteller recreated personal dreams and sleep experiences from her past.
Using 360 videos and photos, the viewer is led through a sequence of dreams that simulates a night of drifting in and out of consciousness and subconsciousness.
Link to project page on NYU ITP.
Link to project on the Samsung VR app.
BACKSTORY
This project was inspired by my lifelong struggle with sleep disorders, and having recurring dreams and nightmares since I was a child.
The driving questions were:
“ What if I can revisit the places that were terrifying in my dreams? ”
“ What if I can materialize emotionally disturbing or uncomfortable subconscious experiences? “
The driving questions were:
“ What if I can revisit the places that were terrifying in my dreams? ”
“ What if I can materialize emotionally disturbing or uncomfortable subconscious experiences? “
SETTING THE FOUNDATION
The City in My Dream
Since maybe around I was 12, I’ve repeatedly visited this particular city in my dreams up to the point I was making this project. The framework of the city is based on the grade school I’ve attended for 12 years. The city grows and changes over time – just like cities in real life. Slowing blending in new places I’ve been to in real life. i.e. Once in my dream I was at a Hakka restaurant and immediately recognized that the last time I was there, was 5 years ago in another dream, and the neighborhood has changed.
Since maybe around I was 12, I’ve repeatedly visited this particular city in my dreams up to the point I was making this project. The framework of the city is based on the grade school I’ve attended for 12 years. The city grows and changes over time – just like cities in real life. Slowing blending in new places I’ve been to in real life. i.e. Once in my dream I was at a Hakka restaurant and immediately recognized that the last time I was there, was 5 years ago in another dream, and the neighborhood has changed.
Real-life place where my recurring dream was based on.
IDEATION
What Happens at Night?
For people who don’t sleep well, night time can be extremely eventful. Here are some of the sleeping problems I’ve experienced:
- Night terror
- Sleep walking
- Sleep paralysis
- Super realistic nightmares
- Insomnia
- Out of body dream experiences
All of these conditions started as early as 5 years old, and have gotten worse after a couple of untimely deaths of closed ones, plus the fear of growing up with asthma.
For people who don’t sleep well, night time can be extremely eventful. Here are some of the sleeping problems I’ve experienced:
- Night terror
- Sleep walking
- Sleep paralysis
- Super realistic nightmares
- Insomnia
- Out of body dream experiences
All of these conditions started as early as 5 years old, and have gotten worse after a couple of untimely deaths of closed ones, plus the fear of growing up with asthma.
Moodboard of common themes in my dream experiencesUSER EXPERIENCE
What make sense to viewers?
Even though many dreams are non-linear and don’t make sense, the waking mind needs patterns that make sense to construct a narrative. I decided to create a video experience that will imitate a night of sleep, consisting of four dreams.
Even though many dreams are non-linear and don’t make sense, the waking mind needs patterns that make sense to construct a narrative. I decided to create a video experience that will imitate a night of sleep, consisting of four dreams.
What are the underlying emotions?
Dreams can go from being boringly mundane to extremely intense. I chose four archetypes of my common dreams to use as foundation The four themes identified:
• Mundane
• Werid to curious
• Terrifying
• Calm, slightly sad
Dreams can go from being boringly mundane to extremely intense. I chose four archetypes of my common dreams to use as foundation The four themes identified:
• Mundane
• Werid to curious
• Terrifying
• Calm, slightly sad
EXPERIENCE FLOW
DEVELOPMENT
Out of the four dreams, two were videos filmed by me. One as a 360 video, and the other with a normal camera but mapped in a dark 360 sphere. The othe two dreams were created from 360 photos, one captured from google maps, the other taken by a friend back in Taiwan.
Dream 1: Frozen Memories
Frozen Memories is about memories stuck in the past that only surface in the form of dreams. It is an actual street view of the street in front of my childhood home in Taiwan.
Created with a 360 photo captured through a Google Street View plugin in Unity. Edited in After Effects using Mettle skybox to embed videos and images.
Dream 2: The Dialogue
The Dialogue is the only dream with characters and a narrative. It is based on a dream I had, of my dream-mother, casually yet cautiously telling me that my father who has been dead for ten years is back.
When I was dreaming it, it was like watching a movie, which is why this experience is made to look like a movie screen playing in a dark theater.
Created with non-360 video footage filmed with a Canon 5D camera. Language: Mandarin Chinese. Actress: Cici Liu & Maria Fang. Director & Camerawoman: Maria Fang.
Dream 3: The Red Room
The Red Room is having the viewpoint of being buried alive by red balloons in a confined space also covered in red. It is a representation of dreams caused by anxiety and creates sudden terror. Experiences related to this type of dream includes asthma attacks, chronic nightmares, out of body mixed with night terror experiences, and sickness.
Created with 360 video footage filmed with a Ricoh theta S camera. Edited in Premiere. It was filmed in a box. Music: Klaus Ib Jørgensen, Moon Pain (2003-2008).
Dream 4: Desolation
Desolation is a place I've dreamt about more than once through out my life, and every time I'm in it, I am completely alone. For the first few years I felt very alone, and later started feeling safe.
In reality, it is the basketball court of the school I've attended for twelve years in Taiwan.
Created with 360 photos taken by a friend who currently works at the school. Audio recorded by Maria Fang.
USER TESTING
Before thesis presentation, I invited friends over to do the VR experience in my bed. I tweaked the audio and visual elements that weren’t clear enough.
FINAL PRESENTATION
ITP SHOW 2016
Showing the piece at the ITP Spring show. Showing VR at this period of time where ownership is still limited, the interaction of helping others put on the headset and navigating it becomes weirdly intimate. It made my intended act of "putting users into bed" so awkwardly natural.
Showing the piece at the ITP Spring show. Showing VR at this period of time where ownership is still limited, the interaction of helping others put on the headset and navigating it becomes weirdly intimate. It made my intended act of "putting users into bed" so awkwardly natural.
TO WATCH
Watch here on the Samsung VR app. Uploaded in 2016 after Thesis.