The Immersive Media Experience Design (IMXD) Lab recently showcased ‘Manhole’ a VR Narrative Demo at the 7th Alpavirama International Film Festival, which was held from 15 to 19 October 2024 at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad.

Directed by Jayesh Pillai and Abhishek Verma, with technical direction by Banda Shiva Teja and sound design by Ananda Bathena, this immersive narrative transports the viewers into the harsh realities of manual scavengers in India. This project combines storytelling with real-time VR technology, providing a unique perspective on this social issue. For more details on the Manhole VR project, visit: manholecollective.com

Panel Discussion on Immersive Narratives at Alpavirama

At Alpavirama, Prof. Jayesh Pillai presented the research process of understanding the grammar of VR narratives during the panel discussion on ‘Immersive Narratives: Storytelling in Cinematic Virtual Reality’.

The team also presented ‘Dragonfly’, a VR film with stereoscopic 3D and spatial audio. The film is a tale of waiting. While Aisha holds onto a glimmer of hope, her patience begins to test her. ‘Dragonfly’ wishes to immerse the viewer in an experience that fluctuates between Aisha’s reality, memories and hopes. For more details on the Dragonfly project, visit: Dragonfly: Making of a VR Film

Manhole VR being exhibited at the Visual Discourse conference 

Manhole VR was also exhibited at the recently held Visual Discourse, International Conference on Research into Design of Visual Narratives, which was held from 6 to 8 November 2024 at IIT Bombay.