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Creating audio for the cinematic
VR series Delusion: Lies Within
By Jennifer Walden
Delusion: Lies Within is a cinematic VR series from writer/director Jon Braver. It is available on the Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Go and Rift platforms. The story follows a reclusive writer named Elena Fitzgerald, who penned a series of popular fantasy novels, but before the final book in the series was released, the author disappeared. Rumors circulated about the author’s sanity and supposed murder, so two fans decide to break into her mansion to search for answers. What they find are Elena’s nightmares come to life.
Delusion: Lies Within is based on an interactive play written by Braver and Peter Cameron. Interactive theater isn’t your traditional butts-in-the-seats passive viewing-type theater. Instead, the audience is incorporated into the story. They interact with the actors, search for objects, solve mysteries, choose paths and make decisions that move the story forward.
Like a film, the theater production is meticulously planned out, from the creature effects and stunts to the score and sound design. With all these components already in place, Delusion seemed like the ideal candidate to become a cinematic VR series. “In terms of the visuals and sound, the VR experience is very similar to the theatrical experience. With Delusion, we are doing 360° theater, and that’s what VR is too. It’s a 360° format,” explains Braver.
While the intent was to make the VR series match the theatrical experience as much as possible, there are some important differences. First, immersive theater allows the audience to interact with the actors and objects in the environment, but that’s not the case with the VR series. Second, the live theater show has branching story narratives and an audience member can choose which path he/she would like to follow. But in the VR series, there’s one set storyline that follows a group that is exploring the author’s house together. The viewer feels immersed in the environment but can’t manipulate it.
According to supervising sound editor Thomas Ouziel from Hollywood’s MelodyGun Group, “Unlike many VR experiences where you’re kind of on rails in the midst of the action, this was much more cinematic and nuanced. You’re just sitting in the space with the characters, so it was crucial to bring them to life and to design full sonic spaces that felt alive.”
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