Over the years we’ve seen how movies evolved, going from silent black and white movies, to today where the action and characters on screen feel like they’re reaching out to us thanks to the use of 3D. Virtual reality also appears to be the next frontier in storytelling and it looks like the technology is close to being officially recognized as a potential next movie format.

This is thanks to the fact that for the first time ever, a film made in virtual reality (VR) has been nominated for an Oscar. The film in question is called “Pearl” and was released in 2016 as part of Google Spotlight Story. According to the description, “An itinerant musician travels around the country with his young daughter in their old hatchback and juggles his passion for performing with providing his daughter with a stable life. The daughter grows up with a love of music and adventure, and is able to repay her father for nurturing her creativity.”

In a statement made by Patrick Osborne, the director of the film, “I continue to feel proud of the world wide team of artists and coders that made Pearl a reality. Thanks especially to the pirates of Google ATAP for rallying behind our little labor of love and thanks to the Academy for this morning’s recognition!”

VR is currently used mostly for gaming, but if Pearl is any indication, it seems to suggest soon the way movies are filmed, characters are directed, scripts are written, and how we watch them will change. In the meantime you can check out the animated short for yourself in the video above, although the effect will probably come across better if you own a VR headset.

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