Sound design and reproduction techniques for co-located narrative VR experiences

Immersive co-located theatre aims to bring the social aspects of traditional cinematic and theatrical experience into Virtual Reality (VR). Within these VR environments, participants can see and hear each other, while their virtual seating location corresponds to their actual position in the physical space. These elements create a realistic sense of presence and communication, which enables an audience to create a cognitive impression of a shared virtual space. This article presents a theoretical framework behind the design principles, challenges and factors involved in the sound production of co-located VR cinematic productions, followed by a case-study discussion examining the implementation of an example system for a 6-minute cinematic experience for 30 simultaneous users. A hybrid reproduction system is proposed for the delivery of an effective sound design for shared cinematic VR.