Jen Dennis Talks RSA VR And Their Latest Alien Experience

It’s safe to say that the way we consume media has changed pretty rapidly in the past 10 years. The arrival of smartphones, higher-definition displays and Moore’s Law-outdoing technologies means pretty much everything is a ‘screen’, interactive and engaging. However, if sci-fi bards are to be believed (and, let’s face it, they’ve been pretty good at predicting things up to this point), the next level of interaction will be tactile, adaptable and almost entirely virtual. The tools are already in place, so all that’s needed are the storytellers – step forward RSA VR.

Already a globally renowned production powerhouse, RSA Films latest division, RSA VR, is dedicated exclusively to the creative development and production of VR, AR and mixed media. RSA has long been a champion of creative technology, led by co-founder Ridley Scott whose prolific body of work consistently uses the latest tools of filmmaking in innovative and creative ways. Head of RSA VR will be Jen Dennis, who has collaborated with Scott to lead RSA’s VR practice to date, most notably co-executive producing The Martian VR Experience, the multi award-winning companion piece to critically acclaimed hit film, The Martian.

As their first official release, they’ve got a doozy - ALIEN: COVENANT In Utero, a virtual reality experience based around the hit franchise kicked off by Ridley Scott in 1979 and available on the Oculus platform. Aptly launched on Alien Day, April 26, the experience is a 360-degree virtual reality journey into a living nightmare, produced by Ridley Scott and directed by David Karlak, in which viewers are offered a terrifyingly close and personal encounter as an alien Neomorph at the time of its birth. Who hasn’t wanted to see that?!

We were excited by the possibilities of a mega-company like RSA turning its hand to VR and AR, so sat down with Jen to chat about the work done so far, what we’ve got in store and how they’re planning on giving us the ultimate Alien experience.

VR and AR seem to be the next big tools for storytellers to work with. What puts RSA in a good position to take the technology on?

RSA Films is an award-winning global production company across entertainment and advertising, and has always championed innovation, new mediums and platforms. With Ridley’s vision, for both creativity and technology, along with our deep well of talented storytellers, the time is right for our dedicated immersive media division.

Why was there a need for RSA VR to exist on as a separate entity from RSA Films? What will the level of crossover be?

RSA VR is a natural extension of our brand into immersive media, where we can really refine our practice – everything from storytelling, pipeline and gear, to key partnerships in the space. But as part of the RSA family, we can still tap into the wealth of talented multi-disciplinary storytellers and experienced producers across the company.

How long have you guys been working in VR? Has the technology progressed much since you started?

RSA began exploring VR a few years back after being inspired by prototypes presented to us at a friend’s studio. Soon after, we developed The Martian VR Experience with Twentieth Century Fox, which, as director Robert Stromberg put it, was like “building a plane while flying it.” The technology is constantly evolving, for instance, stereoscopic cameras continue to get better and better, the 360 video has become much more filmic vs. spherical and it won’t be long before we have cordless VR headsets.

What have you learnt from the projects you’ve already worked on?

Every year in VR is like dog years in terms of technology. You have to throw away your ideas about traditional storytelling and embrace the fact that with VR we are defining a whole new storytelling and production language.

RSA obviously has a huge repository of storytellers in place. Are you looking elsewhere for collaborators – i.e. the fields of gaming or theatre?

We have great filmmakers working in or eager to work in the immersive space. But we are very open to harnessing the energy of new creators from different disciplines.

What can you tell us about the ‘ALIEN: COVENANT In Utero’ VR experience?

It’s going to be like nothing you’ve seen before in immersive entertainment and will be very true to its edge-of-your-seat Alien roots.

How involved do directors like Ridley get with the experiences you’re creating?

Ridley’s vision is our most important tool for expanding any of his stories into a different medium. When he gave us the genre-defining Alien (1979), it inspired a generation of storytellers and shattered the status quo for fantastical media. Our filmmakers’ narratives draw from that legacy.

There are obviously limitations as to how people can interact with the projects. Do you try and develop for as big an audience as possible, or does each project present its own technical limitations?

We of course want as many people to see VR as possible, but as a company that helms large-scale immersive projects, we focus on creating great stories that will attract a variety of audiences. While many are anxious to crack open an influx of viewership numbers, we strongly believe that the flow will go from a trickle to a flood as long as we provide a compelling reason to pick up a headset.

What’s the biggest misconception about VR that you’ve encountered so far?

That we can use traditional filmmaking language to execute a successful story. This is an evolving new medium, with new rules, and we are all creating and refining the tools and tactics to develop great immersive experiences.

Why not VRSA (I know, I should work in branding)?

At our core, we’re RSA, and it’s important to convey that as the most prominent part our immersive brand.

What can we expect from RSA VR in the rest of 2017?

‘ALIEN: COVENANT In Utero’ just launched! We’re also developing of a doc-series helmed by director Michael Muller, and a sci-fi experience called ‘Black Box’.