Screenwriting for Virtual Reality

“Kath Dooley and Alex Munt’s book on Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience is an invaluable tool to anyone working on storytelling in immersive space in general and VR in particular. It combines important theoretical insights with an impressive range of case studies which make it an essential companion to anyone seeking to understand what’s distinctive about work in this field or looking to embark on a project of their own.”

-          Adam Ganz, Head of Writers’ Room, StoryFutures and Professor of Screenwriting, Royal Holloway University of London, UK

This book is focused on screenwriting and development for virtual reality (VR). It explores a diverse range of creative approaches to the writing and screen development of VR stories and immersive audience experiences. Contributions from scholars and practitioners combine conceptual and practically orientated approaches for creating fictional and documentary media VR stories. The book evaluates, challenges and adapts existing screenwriting models and practices for immersive storytelling and grapples with the future of storytelling in the era of sophisticated computer visualization, AI and the online social metaverse. The book proposes new VR storytelling models, identifies altered relationships between creators, screen works and their audiences and demonstrates how interdisciplinary practices will be core to the future of screen storytelling.

Kath Dooley is a practitioner/academic based at the University of South Australia. Her work as writer/director has screened at the Busan International Short Film Festival and FIVARS, Toronto. She is the author of Cinematic Virtual Reality- A Critical Study of 21st Century Approaches and Practices (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Her research interests include screen production methodology for traditional and immersive media, screenwriting, women’s screen practice and diversity in the screen industries.

Alex Munt is a film academic, screenwriter and director. He is based in the School of Communication, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. His films have screened at the Sydney Film Festival and SXSW and been distributed worldwide. His research interests include independent film, artists’ moving image, VR and spatialised media.