Artificial Intelligence, Philip K. Dick’s Severed Android Head and Narrative VR
An interview with producer Antoine Cayrol
June 19, 2017
We were inspired by a number of the simulations we experienced at this year’s Tribeca Festival, but none more than a near future sci-fi narrative entitled Alteration. Visually stunning and provocative, this live action experience tells the story of a dream study volunteer and his encounter with a predatory and seductive form of artificial intelligence. Alteration was produced by Paris based VR studio Okio, co-founded by producer Antoine Cayrol and his partner Pierre Zandrowicz.
"Except for E-cigarettes, science fiction has seen everything before it happens."
If there remains any doubt about VR’s potential outside of games and technical gimmickry, Cayrol and his studio offer a convincing counterpoint. Their first foray into narrative VR was the award winning I PHILIP which tells the story of the severed android head of legendary sci-fi author Philip K Dick. Even more ambitious is Alteration which was directed by Jérôme Blanquet and features actors Pom Klementieff (Guardians of The Galaxy) and Bill Skarsgård (It). This is undeniably cinematic VR - live action, narrative storytelling, deftly edited with dazzling visual effects.
When Antoine came through Los Angeles recently, we were happy to have him over to the studio for a visit. Naturally we put him in front of camera for some intellectual interrogation.