Blackout is a virtual reality documentary inviting New Yorkers to share stories in their own voice. Blackout illuminates the moments when our lives intersect in a space where differences are most visible – the subway. It is an ongoing, participatory project gathering real experiences from this political instant
Blackout was designed for roomscale VR and full-body volumetric capture. It is first experience to use Depthkit Studio for 360º 3D volumetric video. Viewers move freely through the crowded train car, activating the stories of the passengers with just their gaze and proximity.
As Blackout’s Technical Director, James George designed a ‘Crowd Engine’ system to procedurally place the Depthkit captures on the train so that each viewing is unique. Passengers’ stories are activated through forming intimacy via proximity and gaze. The longer a visitor spends with someone, the more they are rewarded with intimate stories.
Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival’s Storyscapes in 2017, Blackout was presented in a true-to-life scale physical train car installation. Viewers could reach out and grab the poles and sit on the seats, deepening the immersive experience.
Blackout was produced on-location at the Tribeca premiere. Participants were invited to contribute their captured likeness and story, which would be added to the train to be seen in VR. Over 40 captures were added throughout the run of the festival.
Blackout is the first in a series of ongoing oral history projects by Scatter called Volumetric Histories. The next iteration has been supported by The Knight Foundation and is planned for 2020 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York.
Alexander Porter - Director
Yasmin Elayat - Co-Director
James George - Technical Director, Executive Producer
Mei-Ling Wong- Producer
Hannah Jayanti - Editor, Producer
Official Site