New Opportunities For Empathy and Connection Through Virtual Reality Filmmaking

I am in awe of the technological advancements taking place in our lifetime and excited to explore new ways to tell stories. During the pandemic, I began experimenting with VR spaces and was wow’d by the possibilities for education, storytelling and connection among audiences. In particular, a series created by Felix and Paul Studios blew my mind. Being able to experience the scale of the space station and look out the window to see our planet was incredible. I immediately saw the potential in VR filmmaking. Growing up I prized my National Geographic Magazines as a window to the world, often putting the images up on my wall. When other teenage girls were posting band photos, I was pulling out maps and photography to all the experiences I wanted to have. I can’t imagine the impact VR would have had on my ability to learn about the world.

With over two decades dedicated to documentary filmmaking in collaboration with communities and non-profits, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact that immersive storytelling can have on fostering empathy and driving social change. As we stand on the cusp of a technological renaissance, virtual reality (VR) emerges as a transformative medium, offering unparalleled opportunities to deepen this impact by allowing audiences to experience life from perspectives vastly different from their own. Imagine being able to sit with anyone, in the spaces they live work and play and hear about their lives. There is something so powerful about being able to feel the scale and look people in the eyes. I’ve been submitting grants to outfit myself with the tools needed to create local VR documentaries about the people in Chicago. Our city has endless possibilities for storytelling and as we are often misunderstood on a national scale for our violence, the underbelly of our arts and culture scene sets the stage for innovations across the country. We just don’t get the credit for it.

I am in awe of a series on PBS called: Firsthand. Each season follows a theme. The theme currently is peacekeepers. It follows groups across Chicago doing the work of violence prevention through community building. I keep thinking it would be amazing to have this as a VR series where you can sit in the vehicles and travel with people as they talk to you. You can look out the window and watch the world go by. Sit in a peace circle or a dance party and feel the presence of community and how joy infused into the work changes lives. Imagine sitting in the tent of a houseless person or in the studio with an artist. I am hoping to learn the technology and then embark on designing a project that marries my hard earned filmmaking skills with an art project that allows visitors to our cultural institutions to put on a set of VR glasses and visit with a Chicagoan. In any respect, check out Firsthand on PBS. It’s incredible.