Basile Bohard’s vision of immersion

Basile Bohard, creator of immersive experiences and founder of the neodigital creative studio, shares his vision of immersion and the way he conceives immersive experiences: “My quest is to create artistic experiences that touch visitors’ hearts and make them question their own experience. representation of the world“.

Imagining tomorrow’s world

Immersive experiences are a fantastic way of inviting audiences on a multi-sensory, interactive imaginary journey that transports them into another space-time, where the only reality is the one they agree to live in the present moment! Experiences in which the boundaries between the real and the imaginary are reinvented, ephemeral moments that play with sensations, unforgettable collective moments in which visitors are the actors, and everyone emerges changed. “In my opinion, immersive experiences are a formidable fusion of art and science, guiding us to meet the challenges of the present, leading us to see the world differently and giving us the chance to believe that anything is possible. Thanks to them, we have the power to imagine what tomorrow will be like.declares Basile

Fiction at the heart of immersion

Fictional narratives have been at the heart of our learning and representation of the world since the dawn of man. Weaving immersive narratives means weaving relationships with all the elements that surround us in a multisensory way. By putting the world into stories, we create an intimate relationship with it.

As Basile explains, “telling a story is about building a bridge between what is established and what is possible. Storytelling allows the past and the possible to coexist, because we decide to believe”. The decision to believe is akin to a term defined in 1817 by the poet Samuel Coleridge, called the “consensual suspension of disbelief”, which leads participants to consciously believe in the verisimilitude of a universe and/or narrative architecture, using all the means at our disposal. A sine qua non for the participant to feel emotions. “So we need to plunge him (immersion) into a state that allows him to be literally ‘credulous’ when the universe in which he is immersed is sufficiently coherent, plausible and logical.” continues Basile Bohard.

But for this suspension to work, Basile stresses that “it has to be based on elements of reality. This requires a great deal of documentation on the part of the artist in order to gather the “real thing”. This willing suspension of disbelief implies a pact between the creator and the participant, so that the latter agrees to suspend his or her disbelief.

Giving power and intensity to a fictional experience

Drawing on his experience, Basile’s vision is a recipe for what he believes constitutes a complete and attractive fictional experience.

1. Organic narrative structure: For a good immersive experience, they should be designed to open up narrative possibilities and allow players to develop their own narratives through interactivity. “We need to think of storytelling as a living system in which the participant interacts, multi-dimensional narratives where a variety of writing styles marry and clash to help everyone recognize a common humanity, even if they come from different places, cultures or generations. An immersive experience can also have an abstract, expressive or experimental form, so we must be careful not to restrict the creative experimentation that can be expressed in the early stages of this type of experience.“Basile advises.
   
2. Creating imaginary worlds beyond the real: Beyond the construction of narrative possibilities, the creation of imaginary worlds is perhaps the supreme form of experiential creativity, a space where all freedoms are accessible. “When creating immersive experiences, we can’t just tell stories. We need to create coherent worlds, to sculpt spaces that go beyond the real. These different worlds take participants on an unprecedented journey, inviting them to question their own humanity and vision of the world, and helping them to question the notion of reality.explains Basile.
   
3. Stimulation of the senses to recreate the sensations of reality: the viewer and/or the environment become elements of the work, in the same way as the other elements that make it up. Sensory and spatial immersion is experienced by the participant when he or she feels that the imaginary world that has just been brought to life is convincing from the point of view of his or her perceptions. “In my opinion, there can be no immersive experience without a minimum of natural, intuitive interaction, because immersion, as a quest for the verisimilitude of an imaginary universe, implies active participation on the part of the visitor.”
   
4. Creating the right conditions for collective sharing, in the real world : “The idea is not just to experience an extraordinary adventure together, but to share our experience, our vision, our emotions, inviting participants to reconnect in public. Sharing means being there, present with the other person to experience shared moments..“illustrates Basile Bohard.

Reinforcing fiction with immersive tools

Fiction alone is not enough, and is accompanied by a host of tools, more or less modern, to immerse visitors in a dreamlike, impactful universe.

These tools include :

1. Set design: this covers lighting, sound, scenery, pyrotechnics and costumes, for example.
   
2. Technologies: with a host of modern tools made possible by the innovations of recent decades, such as video mapping, spatialized sound, holograms, automation, augmented reality, mixed reality, sensors, screens, and more.
   
3. Content: such as pre-calculated 3D, real-time 3D, video games, print, games, 2D animation, etc.
   
4. Acting: held by actors and extras, participating in and building the success of many immersive experiences around the world.

Bullshit! Immersion is nothing new

Today, immersion is wrongly presented as a new art form, but on closer inspection, it’s been around since the dawn of time, and is part of the way humans apprehend and understand the world. We take part in an immersive experience every time we open a book, watch a film, play video games … What’s changed? The arrival of new technologies that enable us to offer narrative, visual and interactive experiences that can go even further in their verisimilitude to reality!

However “it’s up to us to give them the meaning they deserve, so that they continue to nurture a future that lives up to our dreams and reveals possibilities that don’t yet exist. The challenge is to tell stories and develop imaginary worlds that will continue to inspire audiences.“concluded Basile.

If you find in this vision the energy you need to accomplish your projects, contact us!