3D-Film Pioneer James Cameron Talks VR Filmmaking and Oculus Rift

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Image: Evan Agostini/Associated Press

By Adario Strange2014-04-12 22:15:37 UTC

As the director of the highest-grossing movie of all time — the 3D technology-driven Avatar — when James Cameron talks new film technology, Hollywood and Silicon Valley listen.

That's why when Cameron responded to a question on Saturday about making films using a virtual-reality device such as the Oculus Rift, many ears in the tech and filmmaking community will likely perk up.

See also: 360-View Oculus Rift Film Gets Groundbreaking Interactive Trailer

"I personally would be very interested to find a way to incorporate VR and a narrative-filmmaking experience," Cameron said during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. "So a narrative directed experience that has individuated pathways where you have choices that you make in real-time, I think that would be a lot of fun. I think it would be very technically daunting and expensive, to do it as the same quality level as a typical feature, but it would be fun to experiment with."

But don't get too excited about the prospect of a virtual-reality Avatar coming anytime soon.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," the director said. "I don't think it would take over the feature film market though. I'm very familiar with VR, but I haven't seen the specific Oculus Rift device."

Nevertheless, Cameron will get his hands on the Oculus Rift soon — an experience that generally seems to get users even more excited about the technology.

"I'm interested in it," Cameron said. "I'm meant to see it some time in the next month or so, but I've been familiar with VR since its inception. In fact, virtual reality is a way of describing the way we work on Avatar , we work in a virtual workspace all day long. We use a 'virtual camera' which is how I create all the shots that are CG in the film, a window into a virtual reality that completely surrounds me."

If the director's history with technology is any indication, if and when he does decide to delve into virtual reality, it will likely be on his own terms, using specialized equipment developed by his own team.

One question posed by an AMA participant, which focused on Cameron's extensive experience with deep-sea diving, may be of interest to those following the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean.

See also: James Cameron Shows What Really Happened to the Titanic [VIDEO]

Asked how he might approach the search for the black box, reportedly sending signals from the bottom of the sea, Cameron explained:

"There are a suite of tools that can operate at the kind of depth we're talking about, I believe between 4000-5000 meters. My ultra-deep submersible would not be required at those levels, that's half of the level it's designed for. The next step would be to use an AUV, an autonomous underwater vehicle, and have it run at 400 or 500 feet above the bottom and do a sonar profile of the bottom," he said. "But it all hinges on whether or not those pings [our link] are actually from the black box, and not from something else, like a scientific instrument that's drifted off course."

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Topics: 3d films, Apps and Software, Film, filmmaking, Gadgets, james cameron, Oculus, Oculus Rift, Tech, virtual reality, VR, World