Purgatory
The Divine Comedy VR
- ETT Project
OUR SERVICES
- 3D Production
- Content Production
- Video Production
The Divine Comedy in VR: Purgatory is a nine-minute short film accompanied by the voice of actor Francesco Pannofino in which the viewer takes on the role of the Supreme Poet and crosses the threshold of Purgatory
Purgatory manifests itself in all its grandeur: a rocky mountain towering in the centre of the southern hemisphere, in the ocean. Emerging from Hell, in this realm the passage of time is admitted: here dawn and dusk, day and night are known, and light is declined in all its hues. Entering this primordial setting, the spectator crosses the threshold of Purgatory subjectively, through Dante’s eyes: a door in the rock, guarded by an angel armed with a sword.
With the vision of the Purgatory mountain begins the second chapter of the project La Divina Commedia VR realised by ETT, on RaiPlay and Rai Cinema Channel. The 3D short film is the protagonist of the multiplatform project conceived by Rai Cinema and presented on the occasion of Dante’s celebrations on Saturday 25 March 2023.
The innovative aspect of the project is related both to the use of the original verses – used as the basis for the creation of the visual imagery of the short film – and to the use of innovative technologies, which are manifested not only in the choice of using Virtual Reality as the preferred medium of fruition, but are also translated into the directing techniques: CGI, Motion Capture and post-production of the image supported by Artificial Intelligence algorithms.
The environments have been entirely modeled, sculpted, and painted in 3D. Animation of plants, fire, and water has been created based on physical parameters, allowing interactions in simulations of up to 100 million particles. As for the human figure, which becomes more central in the Purgatory compared to the Inferno, the choice was made to integrate actors filmed on a green screen in compositing for close-up scenes where facial expressions are perceived. Crowd scenes have been realized by capturing the real movements of actors (MOCAP: motion capture) and applying these movements to 3D characters. Furthermore, the original soundtracks are composed by Marco Morini, a work that pays particular attention to sound design to enrich the viewer’s 360-degree experience.
The crowd scenes were created by filming the real movements of actors (MOCAP: motion capture), and bringing those movements back to 3D characters. In addition, the original soundtracks are signed by Marco Morini, a work that pays special attention to sound design to enrich the viewer’s experience in 360 degrees.
The use of the camera in VR is particularly limited, and many movements traditionally used in cinema are not allowed: the movement is upward and complex, reflecting the condition of souls in their efforts to purify and elevate themselves through punishment and suffering. The camera movements serve as an expressive tool, while the original music reinforces the emotional flow.
