I headed downtown to Comic Con for day one of the convention and things were in full swing as thousands were in attendance and many were dressed as their favorite super hero character or even favorite Disney characters. I’ve always loved people watching, as one of the pluses, when being downtown. Especially being in the middle of all the action in the different areas set-up outside of the San Diego Convention Center.
This year there is even more to dos outside of the convention center walls as television networks and others have really setup some top notch experiences that fans can be apart of. You even have a chance to see some of the actors from your favorite shows as they pop up from time to time at different events, not being held in the convention halls.
Mr Robot Debuts Largest VR Simulcast
This morning I got to participate in the Mr. Robot VR experience, which was billed as “the largest VR simulcast ever.” It was a collaboration between Sam Esmail, Mr. Robot’s creator, and Within VR, formerly VRSE. This nationally broadcast VR simulcast happened at 10:45am PT and lasted around 12 minutes before vanishing from the internet.
Mr. Robot a show that pushes boundaries and delves deep into the world of computer hacking used this technology to brings us a side story to what is happening in the main story line that is occurring on television.
Mr Robot The VR Story
In the VR experience we meet up with Elliot, in his apartment, which allows us to feel like we are in the room, sitting right net to him. We see him smoking and getting high on the couch, then you hear a knock on the door, Elliot opens the door and lets in Shayla.
Shayla then take Elliot to Coney Island, where they ride the Ferris Wheel and talk about various things. She mentions she picked Coney Island because, she had seen a picture in his room and thus thought it was a place he enjoyed. He scolds her and tells her she shouldnt go through the things in his room. Thinking this was a sweet date, he quickly lets her know that she is his drug dealer and nothing more.
The scene then advances a bit where Shayla is humming a song, this excites Elliot slightly because he has heard this before and wondering where it is from and how she knows it. She explains that it is something that she came up with and hums it from time to time saying, “There’s The Universe Delivering as Promised.” The scene then ends with them walking into the sunset on the boardwalk as a dance montage reminiscent of the old iPod commercials commences.
The VR experience ends with both of them back at Elliot’s apartment where they chat a bit more before Shayla pleads with him to not forget her and the experience that they had together. She slowly fades away as Elliot tries to keep the memory alive. Shortly after, he gets up and begins to work on his computer.
Mr Robot Cast Panel
After the VR experience, the cast talked briefly about what they had seen, many who saw it for the first time. Rami Malek, who plays Elliot, talked about filming the 360-degree VR experience and said that each scene had to be one continuous shot, with no side takes.
The experience, while a gimmicky marketing ploy for Comic Con, it was still an creative use of the new and evolving technology. It will be interesting to see what other networks take up the use of VR technology when wanting to add extras to their television shows.