“What makes us who we are?” is the question that drives Blood Relations, a whimsical VR documentary about an adopted child and an ancestral mystery. Using vintage objects, photographs and ephemera, Analee Weinberger tells her personal story of adoption and takes us on an immersive quest, from a scrapyard in Vancouver to the Orthodox Jewish community of Bnei Brak and back to a decaying farm in rural Manitoba. Each discovery adds to the visual and narrative collage, building to a surprising and thought-provoking conclusion that invites us to explore our own personal stories.
User Experience
This immersive documentary is done standing or seated with a Quest 2 VR headset. The perspective of the environment and the user's hands are those of a child. The user always remains in the center of the environment and turns on her or himself. Surrounding are family photos and memorabilia. When the user touches an object, a picture or an archive, a story is triggered: a short animation with narration plays in the virtual space.
Art Direction
The main direction of this project is collage. Pieces appear throughout the experience as if the user is reconstructing a puzzle. The atmosphere is mysterious, surreal and magical.
Simple stop motion animations are playful and use space with the z axis. Three places with different atmospheres are built in 3D collage and made from photos.
Simple stop motion animations are playful and use space with the z axis. Three places with different atmospheres are built in 3D collage and made from photos.
Experience Walkthrough
An Immersive Quest by Analee Weinberger
Produced by National Film Board of Canada, Genetic Media and Moofa Production House
With the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, the Israel Film Council and the Israel Ministry for Culture and Sports
Created and built by Dpt.
