Our Virtual Manifesto

My name is Colonel Over Hyped. Some call me a dangerous revolutionary. Others call me a freedom fighter – defender of real creativity in cinematography. Whatever you call me, I’ve spent my career in the Hollywood and I’m tired of Silicon Valley propeller heads pushing their over-hyped and under performing ideas on me and my colleagues. The latest fad is of course “artificial reality” (A/R) and “virtual reality” (V/R) technology. Apparently we are all supposed to swoon at the mere utterance of such words. The problem is that their performance is fictional; as fictional as the illusive Star Trek holodeck they aim to emulate.

To be clear, I am a creative and I love new technologies that unleash creativity in new, amazing and unexpected ways. There is nothing as rewarding as creating and sharing a vision that was once just in my mind’s eye. The notion of creating more immersive experiences is hugely compelling. Walt Disney constructed Disney Land out of bricks and mortar so that we could all walk around and explore his imagination. Disney Land was the ultimate ‘artificial reality’ and it was brilliant, but not because of the bricks and mortar he used to build it. It was amazing because of the experiential story it delivered. And this is where the current propeller heads have it all wrong. Techies keep telling us about their fancy gadgets from headsets, to software, to glasses and displays. But none of that matters. The only thing that counts is the story. And that is why I am here.

I intend to change the discussion from the technology to the art – from buzz words about simulating reality to actual reality.

In the days and weeks to come, I and my army of counter-creative revolutionaries will explore the the land of AR and VR and expose what is real and useful, and what is just marketing hype.