Virtual Reality Cinema narrative tips & techniques

Eric R. Williams, Carrie Love and Matt Love introduce virtual reality cinema in this comprehensive guide filled with insider tips and tested techniques for writing, directing and producing effectively in the new medium.

Join these veteran cine-VR storytellers as they break down fundamental concepts from traditional media to demonstrate how cine-VR can connect with audiences in new ways.

Virtual Reality Cinema will prepare you to approach your own cine-VR projects via:

• More than a hundred photos and illustrations to explain complex concepts

• Access to more than two hours of downloadable cine-VR examples;

• New techniques developed at Ohio University’s GRID Lab, including how to embrace Gravity, avoid the Persona Gap, and develop stories with a Story Engagement Matrix.

The power of Virtual Reality Cinema for healthcare training A collaborative guide for medical experts & media professionals

Designed for multi-disciplinary teams interested in integrating cine-VR production into their healthcare training and educational programs. Highlights include novel medical education techniques developed by Ohio University’s GRID Lab, including:

• PREality and the low-CRIS technique (a low-cost rapid implementation strategy).

• Advanced production methods to hide lighting set-ups, immersive audio considerations, and new ways to consider 360 storytelling.

• Detailed explanations of the production considerations and results of specific cine-VR productions (from funding approaches to distribution)

• More than five hours of cine-VR examples available for download.

The Screenwriters Taxonomy: A collaborative approach to Creative Storytelling

In The Screenwriter's Taxonomy Williams offers a new collaborative approach for creative storytellers to recognize, discuss and reinvent storytelling paradigms that have evolved over decades. Williams presents seven different aspects of storytelling that can be applied to any fictional narrative film – from super genre to micro-genre to voice and story pathway – allowing writers to analyze existing films and innovate on these structures in their own stories. Moving beyond film theory, Williams offers a hands-on perspective on this taxonomy, exploring classic films such as The Godfather and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as more modern films such as 12 Years a Slave and Argo.

screen adaptations beyond the basics: techniques for adapting books, comics and real-life stories into screenplays

Once you understand the basics of screenwriting, ideas for your next screenplay are everywhere. Whether it comes from a favorite children's book, a summer novel you discover accidentally, a news story that catches your imagination, or a chapter from your own life – advanced screenwriting strategies should now guide you through your first adaptation. In Screen Adaptations, Williams uses examples from award-winning screenplays to explain new storytelling techniques. His real-world examples illustrate a range of advanced approaches – including new ways to identify and craft tension, how to reimagine structure and character, and how to strengthen emotional depth in your characters and in the audience. Screen Adaptations teaches readers new ways to engage with source material in order to make successful adaptation decisions, regardless of the source material. 

Media and the Creative Process

Today, successful media makers need to collaborate across platforms. To do this they need a unified vocabulary to explain their artistic choices. Only then can they communicate their ideas to others and therefore collaborate. Media and the Creative Process was designed to get the media artist to think about how artists from other platforms think about their work. Whether you create animation, games, narrative and documentary video, sound design projects, or music, this book is the first step toward being able to share your vision with others. It also explains how storytelling and aesthetic decisions work in concert to bring a story to life regardless of medium. By identifying, comparing, and critiquing the aesthetic elements of media projects, this book includes topics such as the importance of archetypes in storytelling, the influence of sound design on visual meaning, basics of game play design and the process of song composition. 

The Future of Entertainment

COMING in 2023: In this 10-episode series, Eric R. Williams not only explains the storytelling techniques behind immersive, interactive entertainment, he also introduces us to the new media artists that make these stories possible. Immersive storytelling is now a part of our narrative landscape. Jump in and learn all about the future of entertainment.

TV’s New golden Age

Eric R. Williams takes you on a tour of this high watermark period in television history, known as the "Third Golden Age of Television". With this invaluable perspective, you will be able to form a more complete picture of the amazing innovations and paradigm shifts that shaped so many of the shows that define this 20-year period of creative television excellence.

From crime dramas to fantasy epics to sitcoms, you’ll examine shows of various genres . You will consider the shows themselves, as well as the creative minds behind them, and the changing nature of the television audience across the decades. As you trace the history of television past and present, you will see how it has moved beyond disposable entertainment to become an art form that both reflects and shapes the world we live in.. 

How to View and Appreciate Great MOvies

Filmmaker and author Eric R. Williams unpacks the elements of more than 250 “great” movies including Casablanca, Jaws, The Godfather,  Do The Right Thing, and The Wizard of Oz to illustrate the tricks used to help us suspend our disbelief, let go of our cynicism, and buy into a story using sounds, scores, lighting, color, special effects, and more.

This series was first released as a video series on Wondrium, then re-released by Audible under a new title: How to Appreciate Great Movies. 

Falling in Love with Romance Movies

Why have viewers always had a love affair with romance movies? From tragic love stories, like Romeo + Juliet, to feel-good rom-coms, like Sleepless in Seattle, people simply cannot get enough of these movies. Join Professor Eric R. Williams to analyze dozens of titles that fall under the scope of "romance films". Explore traditional romantic titles, such as When Harry Met Sally, West Side Story, and Casablanca; controversial spins on the traditional genre, including Her, Harold and Maude, and Lars and the Real Girl; less conventional "romances," such as Blade Runner, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, She’s Gotta Have It, and yes—even Fight Club. Throughout, Professor Williams draws on a wealth of examples, revealing the DNA of these films.