My last post on Quentin Lengelé’s 360 video reminded me a bit of the Aspen Movie Map. The Aspen Movie Map was a very ambitious project involving the visual mapping of the entire city of Aspen Colorado back in 1978. Although the YouTube video above is kind of long it is worth watching. I especially like the guy who is smoking a pipe while navigating the laser disc touchscreen, as if to say “this interface is so intuitive you could use it whilst smoking a pipe!”. There is also some classic computerized speech announcing various destinations of Aspen.
I think these type of projects excite me not for what they are, but for what they could be. I can imagine an entire film shot in 360° HD with an interface that would allow you to view the action from whatever angle you choose. You would no longer be passively watching the film because you could participate and influence how you receive the action. Directors of these new types of film could no longer be certain which direction the viewer was looking at any given time. Perhaps this would require a director to think more like an architect, shaping space to support non-linear narrative. Another area to look at would be the narratives that are created in 3D gaming where they are telling a story while allowing the gamer to play a role not only in how they receive the action but also in dictating the action and in creating the narrative.