Summer DeRoche at SXSW – day four

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SXSW_MollyandAlly.jpgSceneOn, Melbourne filmmaker Summer deRoche, who uses modern media platforms to engage with audiences, is covering SXSW exclusively for Campaign Brief

You know that look your grandma had when she first got a VHS player? Confused. Dumbfounded. Impressed. I’ve had that same expression on my face during much of my time here at SXSW.

 

During a conference today about Exploring Storytelling in the Digital Age, the question was asked of the audience – “Who here hasn’t used virtual reality?” I was one of only three people who raised my hand. The other two were probably somebody’s grandparents.

 

Virtual reality is a hot topic here. It’s a brand new storytelling medium that both excites and frightens me. Unlike film, the audience experience is active, not passive. And the possibilities seem endless.

In an attempt to feel better about my premature technological-menopause, I went and hung out with Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. And by “hung out with” I mean I took photos of them from afar while they did a Q&A session before the 30th anniversary screening of The Breakfast Club.

 

Attending the two sessions back to back was an interesting juxtaposition; one focused on a storytelling medium so new that even the experts are still discovering how to best utilise it, the other a film that was made the same year I was born. But what they both have in common is audience demand.

 

If SXSW has taught me one thing so far, it’s that as a young(ish) director in the digital age, it’s important to explore all avenues possible for telling the stories I want to tell. Sometimes the best platform for a story may not be the one I had originally intended. This is a daunting realisation, but an exciting one. Just as grandma had to either master the VHS player or get left behind, it’s time for me to jump in with both feet.

 

Now excuse me while I strap a pair of electronic goggles to my face.