'Pride: A VR Film Experience' by Tabby Smith

Summary

The film begins with the viewer watching the New York Pride march along part of the route on 5th Avenue. As the march progresses, they can use prolonged gaze to interact with nearby attendees and learn their stories. These stories will be based on real-life experiences from LGBTQ+ people across the world. The film will then cut and fade up to stalls and booths at PrideFest (a street fair) in Greenwich Village, where the viewer can interact with the stalls. Prolonged gaze will provide information and statistics on the current state of LGBTQ+ rights in individual countries (i.e. India, Thailand, Serbia, etc.) and the intersection of race and sexuality. The film will cut and fade up to a final shot of the entire parade, where the viewer can see the sheer size and scope of the attendance.

Why VR?

Using VR for this project will allow viewers to connect with LGBTQ+ individuals and their stories on a more visceral level, whilst also demonstrating the beauty and sense of community that is part and parcel of a Pride Parade. The viewer is able to experience first- hand the various aspects of Pride, and what it means to members of the LGBTQ+ community. It also offers an opportunity for education on LGBTQ+ rights that shows how in spite of how far we’ve come, there’s still progress that needs to be made all over the world. Also, while NY Pride is one of the biggest and longest-running pride parades in the world, using VR allows individuals that may not have the opportunity to physically attend to experience it.

Edited by Conrad Gardner