Key Moments
Jessica Brillhart, Immersive Director, on VR and AR
Y CombinatorKey Moments
From Google VR to Vrai Pictures, Jessica Brillhart discusses VR/AR's evolution, storytelling, and future.
Key Insights
VR/AR technologies are converging and evolving beyond isolated mediums.
Storytelling in VR shifts from 'telling' to 'world-building' and 'potential story,' where users decode meaning.
Gaming, while a precursor to immersive content, offers diverse experiences, from linear progression to open exploration.
Interactive mobile experiences (like Florence and Black Box) demonstrate innovative storytelling by leveraging device capabilities.
Social VR presents exciting possibilities for shared experiences but carries risks of replicating real-world negative behaviors.
The future of VR/AR will likely integrate more seamlessly into daily life, possibly losing its distinct label.
FROM GOOGLE VR TO VRAI PICTURES
Jessica Brillhart, formerly the Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google, founded Vrai Pictures to create independent immersive content. Her tenure at Google, starting as their first filmmaker and later joining the AR/VR team, allowed her to develop VR capture ecosystems like Jump. Brillhart found it challenging to be reactive within a large company as VR solidified, realizing the potential for parallels between machine learning and VR development, and the need for more artistically driven, functional content outside big studios. This realization, coupled with a belief in the interconnectedness of immersive technologies, propelled her to start her own company, "Vrai," meaning 'true' in French, reflecting her focus on authenticity in immersive experiences.
THE EVOLUTION OF IMMERSIVE CONTENT AND DEEP DREAM
Brillhart highlights the convergence of technologies, comparing it to how physics and computer science are learning Python. She recounts the creation of Google's "Deep Dream" experience, which stemmed from a serendipitous collaboration between the VR team in Seattle and the adjacent machine learning team. Initially a visual art experiment, the team explored applying AI's 'dreaming' capabilities to VR footage. The project evolved, incorporating AI-generated prose and unsettling narration, demonstrating how unexpected collaborations and artistic exploration can lead to compelling, albeit unconventional, immersive experiences. This experience underscored the importance of not fitting into a roadmap but exploring creative potential.
REDEFINING STORYTELLING IN VR
A core theme is the shift in storytelling paradigms for VR. Brillhart distinguishes between 'kinetic' storytelling (active guidance) and 'potential story' (world-building). Unlike traditional film, where 'telling' was often necessary, VR allows for crafting worlds where the story is to be decoded by the user through interaction. This approach mirrors Aesop's fables, where the core value or 'truth' is paramount, irrespective of the specific narrative elements. The goal is for the user to extract the essential meaning, regardless of their path through the experience, emphasizing the recipient's interpretation and emotional foundation derived from the crafted environment.
IMPLICATIONS OF GAMING AND INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES
Gaming serves as a crucial point of reference. Brillhart values games that offer 'flow' and allow exploration at leisure, citing 'Myst' and 'Red Dead Redemption' for their balance of player agency and narrative structure. She contrasts this with more linear games like 'Super Mario Bros.' The conversation touches on how games like 'The Beginner's Guide' and 'Florence' innovate by using their interactive nature to evoke specific emotions and question user perception of technology. Games like 'Black Box' are praised for their intelligent use of device functionalities to create compelling puzzles and narratives, pushing the boundaries of how technology itself can tell a story.
THE FUTURE OF VR AND AR INTEGRATION
Brillhart anticipates VR will eventually be absorbed into a broader category, losing its distinct name. She sees AR as highly accessible due to its use of ubiquitous smartphones, and envisions a future where AR experiences can lead users into VR for deeper engagement. This synergy addresses the weaknesses of each technology individually. She also notes the growing presence of immersive technologies in daily life, drawing a parallel to current device usage, and suggests that while the technology challenges our existence, it won't inherently destroy humanity. The focus remains on the human desire to alter perception and find meditative or enjoyable experiences.
STRATEGIES FOR ADAPTATION AND CREATIVE PRODUCTION
For traditional storytellers, Brillhart advises abandoning the 'telling' aspect. She advocates for identifying the core 'truth' of a story, akin to sculpting. This involves extensive pre-production, understanding audience and platform limitations, and defining the 'superpower' or agency given to the user within the experience. The technical process is fluid, requiring constant adaptation. She emphasizes that the power of VR lies not just in visual fidelity but in immersive audio, which is often undervalued. The ultimate aim is to create experiences that resonate emotionally and thoughtfully, even when users are simply relaxing or experiencing the world in new ways.
EXPLORING SOCIAL VR, FUTURE PROJECTS, AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Social VR is discussed as a space for shared experiences, with potential for both connection and conflict. Brillhart acknowledges the risks of replicating negative online behaviors but also the beauty of shared discovery, as seen in her 'AltspaceVR' experience. Her future projects include a series exploring biopics (starting with a music icon), an architectural exploration, a "fringe game" inspired by 'Pong' for accessibility, and an immersive audio project. She expresses concern about the potential for a future where forgetting is impossible, valuing the human experience and the poetry of letting go. She also notes how VR helped her realize she needed glasses due to stereo disparity issues.
Mentioned in This Episode
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●Software & Apps
●Companies
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●Books
●Concepts
●People Referenced
Common Questions
Jessica Brillhart's company is called True (vrai). 'Vrai' is French for 'true' or 'real,' reflecting her belief in the convergence of various immersive technologies like VR and AI into a unified future reality.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
The intersection of Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence, a core focus of Jessica Brillhart's company, True.
A playful term Jessica Brillhart used for 'The Weather Channel' project, highlighting its unique, quick creation and accessibility.
A term Jessica Brillhart coined to describe her editing process for 'World Tour', highlighting its acronym 'PEE'.
An autonomous vacuum cleaner, used as an example of how AI becomes normalized and less 'scary' once it integrates into daily life.
Mentioned in the context of the 'Old Spice Guy' campaign, a humorous ad that Jessica Brillhart felt missed the mark by being too literal in VR.
Hypothetical AR glasses from Apple, mentioned as part of the potential shift from VR to AR.
A company that acquired Verse VR, where some of Jessica Brillhart's colleagues moved to work on VR.
A VR headset used by Jessica Brillhart's father, who fell asleep while using it, demonstrating its potential for relaxation.
The hardware used for virtual reality experiences, with a trend towards volumetric and wireless capabilities.
A company where Jessica Brillhart worked briefly as an editor before joining Google.
A company working with VR rigs that Jessica Brillhart collaborated with early in her VR career.
A company developing AR hardware, mentioned in the context of the market shift towards augmented reality.
A streaming platform where users watch others play games, reflecting a desire to alter perception and engage with experiences.
A company where Jessica Brillhart served as lead editor.
A friend and colleague involved in VR development with 'Verse' (later part of Jaunt) and Story Studio at Oculus.
The protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, whose story arc and eventual fate lead to a reinterpretation of the game's redemptive themes.
The leader of the machine learning/AI team at Google that collaborated on the Deep Dream project.
A friend and colleague who moved into VR development, influencing Jessica Brillhart's interest in the field.
An iPhone game with puzzles requiring interaction with the device's sensors, like temperature.
A television channel whose style of infomercials influenced Jessica Brillhart's 'The Weather Channel' VR project.
A classic puzzle adventure game cited as an example of exploration at leisure within a game, contributing to a sense of flow.
A 90s game that served as inspiration for a recent project, noted for its difficulty and immersive qualities.
An example of a game with a linear, on-rails progression where players must complete tasks sequentially to advance.
A game by Davey Wreden that uses a narrator to guide the player through other creators' games, questioning the relationship between creator and audience.
A fictional film cited as a semi-dystopic vision of technology's pervasive presence, relevant to the discussion on immersive tech.
A game praised for offering players the ability to deviate from the main story to engage in other activities, like horse training.
A game designed by Ken Wong, whose later work includes the game Florence.
A humorous VR piece created by Jessica Brillhart in a single day, inspired by Adult Swim infomercials.
A character from Pokémon, used as an example of an existing IP that might not be the best fit for unique VR experiences.
A VR content studio founded by Chris Milk at Oculus.
The team Jessica Brillhart moved to after the Creative Lab, focusing on VR development.
A machine learning team at Google that Jessica Brillhart saw parallels with in VR development.
Jessica Brillhart's initial department at Google, where she started as their first filmmaker.
New York University, where Jessica Brillhart studied film.
An institute at NYU where Jessica Brillhart also took courses, indicating her interdisciplinary background in film and computer applications.
A game mentioned for its use of the Companion Cube, an object designed to help the player but is later destroyed, creating an emotional impact.
A smart speaker that people interact with daily, illustrating how AI integration has become commonplace.
A programming language Jessica Brillhart disliked, leading her to choose computer applications over computer science for her minor.
A virtual assistant that Jessica Brillhart interacts with daily, showing the normalization of AI in communication.
An Irish dialect speaking Apple voice used for reciting prose generated by Russ Goodwin's system.
A social VR platform Jessica Brillhart recently explored, noting the initial awkwardness and potential for both positive and negative interactions.
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