With the advancement of technology, immersive experiences are emerging as a significant trend in the field of entertainment. Whether through immersive projection, full-sensory immersion provided by interactive technology, or the diverse formats of XR (Extended Reality) content, these new forms of experiences are showing great potential in the global market.

Habo, a Canadian consulting firm, conducted a market research in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Germany, the U.K., and France, and released a report in March 2023 (link to original article). It points out that the immersive industry (including XR, immersive interactive projection exhibitions, home-based immersive experiences, immersive theaters, etc.) was valued at nearly $5 billion in 2019 and experienced stronger growth in 2022 following the pandemic. According to the report, 67% of entertainment consumers are interested in immersive experiences, and only 9% are very familiar with immersive experiences available in their local area.

Additionally, as many as 71% of those who have never experienced such products express interest, indicating significant market potential for immersive experiences.

In recent years, VR productions have gradually shifted from artistic experimentation to commercialization, attracting the attention of many international distributors. In this article, we will analyze the demand and trends in single-user experiences such as VR360 and interactive VR, through special exhibitions and cinemas in Taiwan and abroad, providing Taiwanese creators a close look at the global trend of XR content.

Nu:Reality and PHI Centre Bring Taiwanese XR Works to the International Stage

Nu:Reality project, the first of its kind in Europe to introduce VR experiences into regular cinema screenings, was jointly created by Cassette Stories and Diversion Cinema, two distributors from the Netherlands and France respectively. Its attempt is to integrate VR experiences into daily movie screening programs and to introduce VR works to more audiences. Since its inception, a total of five special programs have been held, and the number of participating cinemas has increased from three to seven this year, which is a small milestone for Nu:Reality. 

From July to September this year, Nu:Reality collaborated for the first time with Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) on "Trailblazing Taiwan," a program with five Taiwanese VR works including Craig Quintero's “Over the Rainbow,” Wen-Chieh Chang's “Wonder of Life,”Chih-Yen Hsu 's “Home,”Fish Wang's “Red Tail,” and Hsin-Chien Huang's “Samsara,” to present Taiwan's breakthroughs in innovation and creativity. The Dutch audience were not only able to immerse themselves in the unique perspective offered by the works, but also embarked on a fascinating journey back to childhood memories, explore the delicate balance between desire and happiness, or experience the intimate moments of family gathering in their hometowns.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time that an overseas venue has hosted a special  program of XR content from Taiwan. The PHI Centre in Montreal, Canada, an arts and culture organization spanning the fields of art, film, music, design, and technology, plays a key role in the production and international distribution of new media content. Under the framework of the “Chaos and Memories” themed exhibition, Taiwan Spotlight and a forum were co-organized with TAICCA. More than 4,500 visitors have purchased tickets to experience the exhibition from March 22nd to June 11th, 2023. These four VR titless share commonalities of humanity and emotional subtlety, including Craig Quintero's “All that Remains,”Singing Chen 's “The Man Who Couldn't Leave,” Fish Wang's “Red Tail,” and the Taiwanese-French co-production“Missing Pictures Episode 2: Tsai Ming-Liang.”

The two Taiwan in focus exhibitions organized by Nu:Reality in the Netherlands and the PHI Centre in Canada were both successful under the joint planning of TAICCA. To determine which Taiwanese works will be showcased, overseas exhibitions prioritize audience feedback and draw on the insights of partner organizations, such as international distributors and curators of venues, about local audience preferences and market trends. The PHI Centre selected works known for Taiwanese history, humanity, and emotional subtlety, reflecting the Canadian market's favoring of Taiwanese stories. Nu:Reality, on the other hand, not only chose topics related to cultural integration and personal emotions, but also selected works with a strong sense of technology and visual effects, presenting the diversity of Taiwanese VR creations.

VR360 are usually viewed from a fixed position without walking around, and rely on storytelling, visual display, and immersive sound design to attract viewers. Taiwan has never stopped breaking through the established framework in VR360 creation, such as “The Man Who Couldn't Leave,” “Over the Rainbow,” “All that Remains,” “Home,”etc. They have successfully created a strong sense of presence through clever camera movement, environmental design, and exquisite sound effects, making viewers feel as if they were at the heart of the story.

The challenge of interactive VR works lies in how to present a huge virtual world in a limited physical space, while ensuring technical stability and smooth interactivity. Through motion tracking systems and high-realistic visual effects, viewers can freely explore, move, and even influence the events in the virtual world. Works such as “Samsara” and “Red Tail” utilize interactive mechanisms and delicate motion capture technology to allow the audience to travel through different time and spaces, experiencing the multiple meanings of destiny and reincarnation.They also allow the audience to engage in the emotional journey of the characters and interact with their surroundings on a deeper level, increasing the immersion and participation in the story.

Therefore, in addition to selecting high-quality works that are relevant to the local market, several key factors will also be considered when curating XR-dedicated exhibitions in venues. The first is about “space,” which takes into account a balanced allocation between the interactive experience area and the VR360 viewing area. Interactive experiences usually require a dedicated zone to ensure a sufficient range of movement, whereas VR360 only needs a single swivel seat and can be scaled up depending on the availability to increase space utilization.

Secondly is the “hardware setup.” VR headsets have become lighter, and more works using hand or eye tracking technology have been created thanks to the rapid development of technology. As a result, sophisticated tracking devices that require a large number of external sensors are no longer the only option, which means that there is more flexibility to organize different types of VR works in an exhibition  depending on the hardware resources. Either it is VR360 or Interactive VR, high quality immersive experiences can be assured with fewer equipment requirements.

Last but not least, the “ticketing strategy.” It is a challenge for curators to wisely decide  the number of interactive and VR360 works in one program and take into account the duration of each work, so that the exhibition can attract both immersive moviegoers and those who prefer interactive experiences. VR360 works are usually shorter in length and welcome more capacity of audience in the same session, which can increase the flow of audiences. In contrast, interactive works require a longer period of time to explore and to participate. The exact experience duration remains uncertain as it depends on the smoothness of the interaction by the audience, which may limit the number of the audience as a result. Therefore, a balance of these two types of works enhances the attractiveness of the program,  provides the best overall experience to the audience, but also ensures the operational efficiency of the exhibition.

Kaohsiung Film Festival and VR FILM LAB's Curation Strategy: How to Balance Art and Entertainment

Back in Taiwan, Kaohsiung Film Archive started  its VR-related program seven years ago. It has become the core base for encouraging  VR creation and connecting the industry in Taiwan through the Kaohsiung Film Festival and VR FILM LAB at The Pier-2 Art Center. According to Kuan-Jen Wang, the VR Program Manager, it is not easy to predict the preferences of XR content by the festival audiences, but there are still some trends. For example, criteria such as international film festival reputation, unique interactive forms or narrative skills, collective experiences and somatic design can be key to a work warmly received. Wang also cited the popular experiences of the 2023 Kaohsiung Film Festival as examples, which included the Real-time remote performance of “Gumball Dreams,” the multi-user gamify experiences of "Ascenders" and “Eggscape,” and the 360-degree urban sensory of “Flow;” works illustrating cultural and historical experiences such as “In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats and Gaudi,” “The Atelier of the Divine,” which were also highly regarded by the audience. The Freudian medical theater design of "Dora," and even the nearly hour-long “Stay Alive, My Son Chapter 1 & 2,” which touches on the painful memories of Cambodia, were sold out almost every day.

VR FILM LAB's curation strategy seeks to strike a balance between art and entertainment. It usually programs projects that have been selected or won awards at the Kaohsiung Film Festival, as well as those that can be easily spread out among students, parents and children, families, and other groups, under popular themes such as intergalactic adventures, ecological documentaries. In addition, Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals and Taiwanese works are also on the list of recommendations. For example, the MR project“Eggscape," which relies on gamified elements and scoring system, focuses on the fun of “seeing each other” and “experiencing together.”VR360 works“Murchison Falls: A Wildlife Adventure” and “Komodo: A Paradise Under Pressure,” which focus on the land and ocean environments respectively, take viewers into rare natural landscapes and incorporate the topic of ecology, and are both highly acclaimed.

In addition, Wang also pointed out that two first-generation Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals “Your Spiritual Temple Sucks” directed by John Hsu, and “The Train Hamasen” directed by Kuan-Yuan Lai, continue to attract Taiwanese audiences to the world of VR. In the case of the former, not only has it been shown in VR FILM LAB from time to time in the past few years, but it has also been shown as part of the VR program in Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) this year, with four other works including“Home,”“Look at Me,” “In the Mist,” and “The Reflected City.”

“The Train Hamasen” was screened in VR FILM LAB this year as part of Kuan-Yuan Lai's VR special exhibition. In addition, some Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals  of the past two years such as “Red Tail” and “Dora,”have been well received by the audience when they were showcased in the interactive area of the VR FILM LAB..

Immersive Experiences Spark a Global Trend: Taiwanese VR Content Gains Acclaim and Popularity with Promising Market Growth

Taiwanese VR works have not only been highly recognized at major domestic and international film festivals for their delicate emotional expressions, culturally distinctive storytelling, and excellent use of technology, but have also earned a good reputation after entering commercial distribution. With the growing interest and willingness to invest in XR content in the global market, more and more venues are actively promoting immersive content exhibitions, and the commercial ticketing pipeline for VR content is also increasing. The creators have to continue to develop and produce high-quality content, so that consumers around the world will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the unique culture and creativity of XR in Taiwan.