Effects of Volumetric Video Capture on Interactive Storytelling in Immersive Augmented Reality: A Short Film Experiment
Jessica L. Bitter, Galina Senk, Ulrike Spierling · 2023
Volumetric video capture is an emerging technology that opens up several fields of research and, in combination with immersive augmented reality, new opportunities for interactive storytelling. This paper describes an experiment in the conception and production process of an interactive story with volumetrically filmed characters experienced through an MS HoloLens, resulting in an interactive participatory theater application. We report on an initial experiment with a low-budget approach, describe the technical setup, story, and interaction concept, report on a user evaluation, and discuss our findings. The experiment illustrates that the benefit of the high production effort compared to a 2D film is important, as volumetric features need to be integrated into the narrative ideas. These include – in addition to working around technical issues – the sense of the actors’ presence in the same space with the audience, spatial affordances for interaction, and expanded opportunities for emotionally believable feedback from the characters.