Art is everywhere, but one place people fail to look for art is at a cemetery. The VR experience I’m interested in doing is one that takes place at the Oakwood Cemetery right up the street from our campus. I have driven past it dozens of times, as I’m sure many other students have, but it never occurred to me to visit it as a pleasant sight to see. Cemeteries are followed by the stereotype that they are dark and scary, but after looking at a couple of pictures of the Oakwood Cemetery, it looked bright and artistic. After reading some reviews about it, some people said there is so much art that it looks like a museum. Syracuse students will spend years at school, but will most likely never visit this scenic beauty.

THE SCENE

The scene will take place in a large open space. There will be very little movement, except those few people who visit the cemetery. The camera should set at an average human height between 5’4 and 5’10.

LIGHTING

The filming should be done outside during the daylight. We want to avoid any creepy stereotypes of dark cemeteries, which is what we commonly see.

AUDIO

If we can get an audio interview of someone who visits the cemetery specifically for the view, that would be great. We could even get a voice over of the cemetery staff that talks about the sculptures here.

EXPERIENCE

The experience I hope to give viewers is the feeling of serenity and relaxation at a cemetery. I want people to break the stereotype of scary ghost land, and look at it more as an outdoor museum or a park. A place people can come to and enjoy the scenery. The most compelling aspect is that there truly are beautiful art sculptures at this cemetery, and more people should see them. People should experience this because if they don’t see it through VR first, they probably will never take the time to actually go to it. VR should be an experience that people aren’t willing to do, but maybe after experiencing it through a headset and realizing that it’s okay, they may have more of an openness to try it out for themselves. Some people may be scared at first to see tombstones around them, but they will also see the art there and somewhat forget about where they are, and the false beliefs they might have had. What stops many people from going to cemeteries is because of fear or a sense of lack of purpose. Fear is self-explainable, but the fact that it is stems from the ideology films and tv shows may have put in our heads. Sad or scary movie scenes happen in cemeteries, usually nothing else. On the other hand, people may not think they belong at a cemetery if they are not mourning the lives of friends or relatives. I want to show viewers that cemeteries don’t have to be so black and white.

STORY DISCOVERY

The protagonist of this story is either someone who visits the cemetery for scenic pleasure, or a staff member. The problem the subject is trying to solve is that cemeteries aren’t scary. Whether it’s a person who enjoys taking a stroll in a cemetery or someone who works there, they may be looked at in a weird way because of where they choose to spend their time. The audiovisual anchors can be of the person describing one sculpture at a time, as the camera follows. It’s important for others to experience this to see the beauty in something they once feared. Viewers will understand that it is okay to visit a cemetery as often as you visit a park.

WHERE IS MY HEAD?

We want to place the camera close enough where they can see the tombstones and the art sculptures. We want them to be intrigued with the art, but also remind them of where they are. The person will enjoy this experience as they stand. I want them to experience this in the same way they would at an art exhibit. Because the cemetery has a lot of flat land, we are okay with many places where we can secure it. We can have the subject be in the shot, or not. Either way we choose, we will have a voice over playing so they know where to look.

SAFETY

Because very few people show up to cemeteries, we don’t have to worry too much about people trying to take our equipment. We will need to hide by either a tombstone or their small buildings they have. Wherever we are, we will keep a close eye on anyone who walks by.