Immersive entertainment using film technology—VR experiences, filmset-like installations, live-action attractions. Hybrid of cinema, theme park, gamification.
When you're working on a production that goes beyond the classic screen — when scenography, sound design, and narrative structure are translated into a walkable space — you quickly arrive at Location-Based Entertainment. It's neither pure architecture, nor film, nor an amusement park, but a hybrid that uses cinematic narrative techniques to physically draw people into a story.
On set, it works like this: you don't just plan camera positions and lighting, but design the space itself as a medium. VR parkours, for example, combine motion capture technology with spatial installations — the viewer becomes an active participant. This requires different considerations than cinema production: sightlines are not linear, editing is replaced by real-time rendering, and dramatic tension is created through freedom of movement rather than montage. You have to think like a game designer AND like a DP: How do I direct the gaze without editing? Where do I place light to suggest a route?
Practically, this means: film set-like installations — for example, in museums or theme parks — use proven production techniques. High-end projection, LED walls, spatial sound (not stereo, but true 360° mixing) create the illusion continuum. The difference from a classic exhibition lies in cinematic precision: color temperature, focus, and contrast are not treated carelessly, but with the same rigor as in a feature film production. Some of these projects even require more care because viewers experience the scene from different distances.
Gamification — that is, playful elements in serious narratives — is the linchpin: viewers make decisions, influence the story. This demands modular thinking from the production team. You don't shoot one linear scene, but multiple variants that are called up depending on user behavior. This is narrative branching on a physical level.
Relevant for you as a cinematographer or production designer: these projects require intensive pre-production and technical scouting, because spatial dramaturgy errors cannot be fixed in post-production. Cross-functional teams — architects, technicians, narratologists — are standard. And: the quality of execution determines whether it becomes immersion or just expensive-looking decoration.