Ola Røyseland
About the researcher
Ola is happiest on a film set, in the middle of the creative chaos of problem solving and story shaping. Luckily for him, not only is his job to teach filmmaking by making short and feature films with film students, he also runs a production company with his wife and creative partner Zyna, where he also gets to make both short and longer films.
Zyna says Ola should mention that both he and the film workshop and talent program he runs have won several awards, but he doesn’t want to.
Ola is currently based in Norway, but vows that one day he will once more live in a place where palm trees grow.
Research interests
- The future of the cinema experience
- The language of film in relation to affect and emotional response
- Non-verbal and non-linear storytelling
- The role of narrative short films in an ever evolving media landscape
PhD abstract
Thesis title
How will an audience’s emotional response and level of engagement change between experiencing the same narrative short film(s) in a traditional cinema setting versus a frameless viewing experience that fills the viewers entire field of view using head mounted displays, while using a more traditional language of film and storytelling point of view that traditional VR?
Abstract
In filmmaking, the emotional engagement of an audience is inextricably linked to how the audio-visual language of film enables the audience to experience and understand the feelings of the characters. This narrative power has been studied since the birth of cinema, from the Russian Formalist movement to contemporary affect theory.
Recent studies in the field of VR and 360 have found that while VR create a more immersive viewing experience, there are “narrative limitations” to 360 video.
Which begs the question; Is there a golden middle ground yet to be found between traditional cinema and VR? How will the viewing experience offered by Head Mounted Displays (HMD) change if instead of using a 360 or 180 First Person View, we offer a cinematic experience that covers the viewers full field of view while employing a more traditional language of film in terms of composition, angle of view, camera placement, movement and editing?
My practice-research will be based in the creation and evaluation of iterative short films cycles, where I tell the same story through both traditional, screen-based cinema as well as through HMDs in order to explore and evaluate how affect and emotional response is altered by film form and viewing experience, as well as how new technology will adopt and evolve the conventional language of film.
Each cycle of short films will be evaluated using test-subject self-evaluation and focus group interviews. The participants will be experiencing the short flms in both a traditional, communal setting and through HMDs. This analysis will create an evolving, iterative response where future cycles build upon lessons learned and new questions raised.
Qualifications
| Year | Qualification | Awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MA film & Television (Online) (with Distinction) |
Falmouth University |
| 2019 | Bachelor of Visual Arts & Design | Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NZ) |
Grants & awards
| Year | Description | Awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Artist working grant | Agder Fylkeskommune |