The Virtual Reality market is slowly growing, with over 57.4 million users in US alone. The VR technology allows users to dive into another world and experience a different reality. Even though this technology has not been yet adopted by the mass majority of people and there are still many steps to go until mass-adoption, the early adopters can take advantage of this opportunity and create quality content for the existing adopters and for the ones that are preparing to purchase their first VR headset. This affirmation is also backed by a  market study that has analyzed the major barriers in the VR technology, where 24% of responders complained that there is a lack of quality content available for VR.

VR is used to create an immersive environment which can unlock new methods of working together with a team on creative projects.

What is Collaborative VR?

Just like the name says, "Collaborative VR", also known as "Collaborative VR Environments" or "CVEs", represent the action of many people that work together for a common goal. Usually, these people are located in different locations and are not able to work together face to face or in the same office space. The CVEs can be used to host better meetings for the team and hold better brainstorming sessions. The current technology allows each participant to the meeting to create a realistic avatar of himself that will represent him in the virtual environment. Each person will then connect to the virtual meeting room, where their digital representations will lower the distance barrier.

Aside from holding immersive meetings, the Collaborative VR Environment can be used to design new characters, products or even provide better feedback.

How can filmmakers use Collaborative VR for their projects?

Collaborative VR can be used in filmmaking. The pandemic has proven how difficult it can be to work from a distance with a team because of physical limitations. Even though video conferences on services such as Zoom and file sharing tools were used, there is a difference between standing behind a screen and being there, in person. The CVE can offer more options for teams that are working from a distance and cannot be in the same physical space. Filmmakers can work together in creating the baseline for their next movie, because the CVE allows them to use their creativity and productivity levels more than other tools that are currently available.

How to choose a Virtual Reality Collaborative platform?

There are currently a few VR Collaborative Platforms that you can choose from, however, you need to consider a few things. There are more VR headsets on the market and you need to be aware what headset each of your tea member has. It would be great if every team member would have the same type of headset, however, that might not be the case. Therefore, important criteria when choosing a Virtual Reality Collaborative Platform is the VR Headset Compatibility.

The most popular VR Headsets that are used for CVEs are: Oculus Quest 2, HTC Vive Pro, Valve Index, Samsung HDM Odyssey and Varjo XR-2. However, their price varies, some cost $350 and don’t need any additional gear aside from the headset, while others cost over $1000 and might need a high end PC with a good graphic card.

If none of your team members currently own a VR Headset, it is best that all of you choose the same type for compatibility reasons. If this is the case, you should perform your own research and choose the one that is most appropriate for your needs. My recommendation is to choose one that is easy to use, affordable and that doesn’t need any additional gear to work properly.

This is the first time that I am hearing about Collaborative VR. To be honest, I did not research this topic  that much before, either. It is a great idea to allow people to work together in a fun and virtual environment, because, as you said, filmmakers are creative and need to be able to fully express their creativity.