This article was written for my Film and Media Studies class about Virtual Reality. For our final project, we had the opportunity to write a pitch for a piece that would work well in VR.
All clips owned by SM Entertainment. Edited by me, Kamille Suayan.
Earlier this year SM Entertainment, Korea’s largest entertainment company, announced “Beyond Live” — “the beginning of a new performance culture” — likely in response to restrictions brought about by COVID-19. The first “line up” included popular groups like SuperM, WayV, NCT Dream, and NCT 127, some of which are subunits of the larger group known as NCT, or Neo Culture Technology. Since NCT’s announcement in January 2016, SM Entertainment’s founder Lee Soo-man has stressed the “limitless” nature of the group, whether it was in terms of the number of members, subunits, or its use of technology to break cultural barriers.
Why NCT?
NCT’s long history of incredibly immersive, tech-inspired visual concepts makes them the perfect group for the Korean pop music industry’s first ever full-length, virtual reality concert experience. Especially taking into account SM Entertainment’s efforts to connect its groups with fans around the world through, as mentioned on the Beyond Live website, “dynamic performances, stage production with advanced AR technology and real time 3D graphics, differentiated camera works, and interactive communication through live video calls,” the subunits of NCT provide the perfect opportunity for an even more immersive, engaging VR concert experience than what is already on the market. Like many concert films already do, this VR experience would immerse the viewer in the world of the artist, bringing them backstage but also absorbing them with the stunning visuals and energetic performances fans pay hundreds of dollars to watch.
Photo by SM Entertainment
A “Limitless” Concert Experience
Though not presenting a “traditional” narrative, this new concert experience would still accomplish VR’s goal of storytelling, through having scenes from their months of preparation, the chaos backstage, as well as interviews with members and the crew interwoven into the VR film experience. Ideally, this piece would tell the viewers a story about how groups like NCT 127 prepare for their shows and entertain fans all around the world, potentially creating a sense of empathy between viewers and their favorite artists. Additionally, it would touch upon VR’s immersive qualities through its captivating visuals and special effects on stage as well as the intimacy created with interviews backstage.
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In creating an environment characterized by immersive storytelling, the viewer is elevated from simply being a fan at a concert to taking on a new identity — one in which they are brought further into the world of NCT and assume the role of a member themselves. In giving viewers this role, the VR piece accomplishes the “limitless” nature of the group that SM’s founder set out to foster when he announced the group in 2016.
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Inside the “spherical frame” of Virtual Reality
Offstage, the camera will be set up in a way that includes the viewer in rehearsals and conversations between the artists, in which they talk about their preparation for the show and more. To help better immerse the viewer in this world, during the performances, the camera will be placed in parts of the venue that gives the user the opportunity to experience the concert from the perspective of either the artist or a fan attending the show. Ideally, the camera would be at the foot of the stage, giving the viewer the opportunity to have a front row view or see the audience from the perspective of the artist. Visuals and special effects similar to the augmented reality effects from the Beyond Live concerts will also be utilized to help create an environment of excitement, unpredictability, and awe.
Within the “spherical frame” of the VR concert, there will also be subtitles that can be turned on and off by the user. In terms of the interface for the subtitles, they will follow the user’s field of view, remaining fixed at the bottom of the screen. The subtitles are relevant in this concert experience, as the group sings and interacts with the audience primarily in Korean. In having these translations available in a variety of languages, fans from all around the world are able to better take part in understanding their favorite idols and the music they create. Whereas typical concerts and even virtual experiences like Beyond Live don’t have translations, this concert experience seeks to break language barriers to better engage and include fans from all around the world.
