Interactive Historical Documentary in Virtual Reality

As digitization has transformed media and Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have evolved from a research area to a commodity, digital media content creators are experimenting with VR digital storytelling. Most VR experiences are developed in a lean-back 360 immersive format with limited viewer interaction. This paper presents an innovative, first person Point of View (POV) highly interactive VR documentary titled “The Revolution of 1897 in Crete” aiming to enhance interactivity, eliminate character-related uncanny valley effects, promote non-obtrusive subtitle placement and techniques for familiarization with complicated VR controllers. Viewers are active participants through interactive tasks involving sound and music, supporting “doing” rather than just observing. We initially analyze interactive VR experiences to identify the specific characteristics of this new medium, composing a VR grammar. We evaluate task load and usability of the presented interactive and multimodal VR documentary. We propose design recommendations for creators of VR and AR media experiences in any context including cultural heritage.