In times of division caused by issues of race, nationality, gender, wealth, etc., how can people with different values and beliefs reach a mutual understanding? This is a social-experiment documentary with four protagonists: an unemployed man living with his parents who dislikes ‘vocal activists on social media’; an ethnic Korean woman in Japan working for minorities’ rights; a nightclub host from a rough home who dislikes ‘people who don’t try’; and a transgender man whose desire to marry his partner is opposed by his partner’s parents. These 4 strangers volunteered to interact via avatars in VR. With their real appearances and attributes hidden, they aim to travel to the moon together, learning about each other on the way. Can they overcome their differences? Multiple cameras placed in VR and in the real world document the entire interaction. With the idea that shifts in perspective can make anyone seem to be an ‘alien’, we used non-human space-alien avatars. The contributors participated in the shoot from their own rooms, interacting on a VR platform uniquely developed for TV production by NHK. Anonymity allowed the participants honest communication. We scouted mainly on social media for contributors, researching about 100 people focusing on the voices of minorities underrepresented on Japanese TV.
- Tags
-