Call for Papers:

Evolutions in Cinematic Virtual Reality
Symposium at The University of Hong Kong eXtended Humanities Lab
May 18-19, 2026
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/02/02/evolutions-in-cinematic-virtual-reality

Deadline for submission of abstracts: February 20, 2026 [Post on COMMLIST says February 15]

Just over a decade ago, the arrival of consumer-grade VR head mounted devices (HMDs) enabled the development of a new form of linear storytelling in digital virtual reality. In industrial and academic settings, this new narrative medium has been referred to as Cinematic Virtual Reality (Dooley 2021; Mateer 2017; Ross and Munt 2018), a label that recognizes the adaptation of cinematic conventions and tropes within virtual spaces. The CVR medium continues to be well represented as an important filmic category within programs at major film and XR festivals around the world and has seen significant investments by leading media companies. Noting a resurgence of cinematic narratives at the 2025 edition of Venice Immersive (a leading venue for XR), this symposium takes stock of recent developments in immersive linear storytelling. We are particularly interested in papers that examine how VR filmmakers are developing a new language of immersive storytelling by drawing on the legacy of cinematic form in combination with VR specific affordances of embodiment, interactivity, and immersion. We are also interested in how creators take advantage of new VR film technologies such as the recent high-definition 180-degree format and high-fidelity HMDs.

As an initiative of HKU’s Extended Humanities Lab, the symposium is designed to prepare a manuscript for a volume edited by the co-organizers of the symposium, Kath Dooley and Tim Gruenewald. We will circulate full papers before the symposium, and the meeting at HKU will serve as an intensive 2-day workshop.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• 180-degree vs. 360-degree VR films
• Interactivity in CVR
• Embodiment in CVR
• New Genres of linear VR storytelling
• Linear VR retail experiences (e.g. Lost Gardens of Versailles, Horizon of Khufu, Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City)
• Developments in VR film form including sound, editing, staging, camera, etc.
• Technologies of image capture, including volumetric video and gaussian splatting
• The affordances of game engines vs. VR cameras
• VR documentary films
• Animation and CVR
• Literary Adaptations for CVR
• Production, Distribution, and Reception studies
• Theoretical considerations of CVR within the broader XR landscape
• The future of CVR

Submission deadline: February 20

Please submit a 300-word abstract accompanied by a 100-word biography.

Full papers (approx. 6000 words including references) due: May 15

Please send inquiries to the organizers Tim Gruenewald (tgruene@hku.hk) or Kath Dooley (kathleen.dooley@adelaide.edu.au)

eXtended Humanities Lab website: https://www.extendedhumanities.com/

References

Dooley, K. (2021). Cinematic Virtual Reality. Springer International Publishing.

Mateer, J. (2017). Directing for Cinematic Virtual Reality: how the traditional film director’s craft applies to immersive environments and notions of presence. Journal of media practice, 18(1), 14-25.

Ross, M., & Munt, A. (2018). Cinematic virtual reality: Towards the spatialized screenplay. Journal of Screenwriting, 9(2), 191-209.