VR documentary triptych that immerses you in the lives of Egbert and Fred.
One of the forms of VR that filmmakers have hardly experimented with is the documentary variant. As with any relatively new medium, the rules of the vocabulary still have to be mastered. How do you cut up fragments, where do you put the spectator, how do zoom, pan and close-up work? De stoel van de laatste jaren plays with these elements to tell its stories.
De stoel van de laatste jaren is a VR documentary triptych: portraits of people in their final life stages. Using a mix of audio, 360 degrees video, drawings and animations, the viewer enters the lives of two different seniors: Egbert and Fred. Initially, life seems to be restricted to the space where you find yourself: a small farm kitchen, a lush garden. But it turns out this world is awash with stories, contemplations and blissful moments. The physical space may be limited, just as small as anyone’s life begins, but the realm of thought is endless.
Each story begins in the chair Egbert and Fred spend more and more time in during their final years. You see this chair below you. Thus, the story begins from the pensioner’s perspective. Fred or Egbert’s voice leads you into the narrative and changes the perspective; gradually, you are immersed and experience what it is like to near the end of your life.
Credits
Title: De stoel van de laatste jaren
Year: 2017
Duration
: 34 minutes
Category: Interactive project
Edition: NFF 2018