Christians have been performing passion plays at Christmas and Easter for years so that believers and non-believers can experience what it was like to actually be around when Jesus had his ministry. There will now be a new way of experiencing what it was like to see Jesus walk the Earth with Jesus VR - The Story of Christ. This is what is known about this Virtual Reality experience with its release date and platforms to see it on.
The 90-minute film is created by Autumn Productions and the VR production company VRWERX. According to Digital Trends, the Virtual Reality project will be helmed by world-renowned executive producer Enzo Sisti. If that name sounds familiar, he also worked on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ in 2004 along with Father William Fulco, who will also be working on the VR project.
There is yet another reminder of The Passion of the Christ as the VR experience was shot in Matera, Italy, the ancient village that served as the set for Gibson's Passion film. The film will deliver a you-are-there experience of Jesus' life and death, baptism, Sermon on the Mount, Last Supper, and crucifixion.
Since this is a VR experience, scenes were shot with a 360 camera, which means that everything on the set will have to be pretty authentic. Viewers will be able to turn and see how the crowd reacts when Jesus preaches, as well as Jesus himself.
This is certainly the effect that producer and director David Hansen wants when he said in a statement: "The viewers truly feel they are there with Jesus and his disciples. This is the most powerful story of all time and virtual reality is the perfect way to tell it."
It's probably one of the best ways to experience the gospels of the New Testament, and nothing like this has really been tried before. It would be interesting to see if this method of storytelling, which means that there could be another version of Exodus coming.
Well, I believe that I mentioned in a previous article about the uses of Virtual Reality outside of gaming about how VR will create the potential for a new type of storytelling, as well as evangelism. It looks like this particular Jesus VR - The Story of Christ will kill two birds with one stone.
According to Engadget, Jesus VR - The Story of Christ will arrive during Christmas this year, but no specific release date so far. It will arrive on all major VR platforms including Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear, as well as PlayStation VR.
