Virtual reality is a very common theme in science fiction movies, where it is often used a way to turn the fantastical into something that seems totally real.
TRON, for instance, was one of the first movies to use virtual reality as a plot element. The main characters were taken from reality and transported into a virtual world inside a computer. This is not 100% like the virtual reality we know today but the concept of another reality inside of a computer reminds the same.
Some of the most popular movies of our time use concepts of virtual reality. Some of these movies, which you’ve probably heard of, include:
- TRON & TRON Legacy
- The Matrix series
- Vanilla Sky
The list continues indefinitely. We can certainly expect such a list to continue growing in the future as the ideas behind virtual reality are fully explored in film.
Second Life’s Film Festival
Second Life, at one time, partnered with the 48 Hour Film Project to produce the first film festival to take place in a virtual world.
The participants of the festival had to create a film set totally within the world of Second Life. In true 48HFP style, they were given a genre, a character, a proper and a piece of dialogue, which must be incorporated into their films, and went away to write and edit a Second Life film within 48 hours.
The winners of the ‘virtual film festival’ were given the opportunity to have their films shown at the real-life 48 Hour Film Project event.