NFB launches virtual reality re-enactment of Bear 71
Living so close to Banff National Park, the tagging and tracking of animals is something we've all grown accustomed to.
It's difficult to imagine the experience of a wild animal that has spent a lifetime coexisting with things inherently unnatural to them, things like people and technology. But a new virtual reality project by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) breaks the boundaries of imagination through the re-telling of Bear 71, a documentary told from the viewpoint of a female grizzly bear (dubbed Bear 71 by the Banff rangers tracking her) who spent eight years under constant surveillance of trail cameras in the park.
Loc Dao, executive producer and creative technologist at NFB, worked on the groundbreaking project, and said virtual reality ( VR) provides an experience completely unique and beyond the scope of the 3-D world of film as we know it now.
“The project is about the intersection of humans, technology, nature and animals — it's about how we look at the world through the lens of technology,” Dao said. “When you're literally putting on a VR lens and are in the world, your mind gets transported. You're in an entirely different state of immersion.”
Dao said what makes VR projects so compelling isn't necessarily the technology itself, but what the technology can do for our sensory experiences. Audiences spoken to after watching Bear 71 told Dao they were left in tears, unable to extract themselves from the all too vivid experiences of the female grizzly.
“They said they don't see, but they actually have gone to a place when they come out of VR,” he said. “There's been a lot of hype about VR, but one of the things missing is a story with deeper experiences. With Bear 71 we're trying to create more depth and intimacy with VR.”
Collared at age three, Bear 71 follows the true story of a female grizzly bear coping with the continuous external stressors of being trapped, caged, constantly surveyed and navigating a habitat overrun with people and traffic.
Dao said when the film was originally released in 2012, it was told through a live performance, interactive installation and online documentary. Available free on Google Chrome and through Daydream-ready phones like Google Pixel, audiences can now experience Bear 71 through VR.
“This is really the beginning of a movement to inspire the web creators,” Dao said. “All the technology is open source, so it's a really good opportunity for people to create without constraints.”