The high concept here was doing VR in reverse, which hasn't been done before to anyone's knowledge. In user tests about 70% get that it's going backwards. People tend to start getting it when the guest in the headmount goes downstairs backwards, then really get it when the pills and stool get knocked over. By that time they've forgotten about most of the rooftop sequence and jumping off the roof.
 
Several people noted irritatedly that others were laughing during the injection sequence:
 
The BVW expo yesterday was very good (thanks spanky) and very cool. Got me motivated again. Though I don't understand people's humor sometime...there was this one world, which was very beautiful, that involved drugs and some guys behind us were snickering. Idiots. Well...whatever. A great song that went with it titled "Je Revien" by Autour de Lucie.
 
My theory is that these people thought the use of drugs was clichéd. However, this is applying film criticism to VR, which is a good thing. It means that people are thinking critically about the medium and it's gotten past the point of humor and cheap gags, which is how most perceive VR.
 
This isn't a statement about drugs or suicide but rather an exploration of a relationship. Inspiration came from the films Memento and Requiem for a Dream, despite the fact that at the start of this project we had only seen the trailer for Memento, and half of us hadn't seen Requiem for a Dream.
 

Original Proposal
To: Randy Pausch
From: Pete Allen, Leonard Lee, Sharon Park, Brian Yeung
We're focusing on the last day in the lives of two heroin addicts told backwards, with key points of interaction running forwards. We're looking to play most of the dialogue in reverse and have the key interactions play normally. The protagonist and his girlfriend start off dead on the asphalt, then fly back up to the building ledge where he takes her hand. Before that they're running around on the roof, shooting heroin, and cuddling in bed. It ends with a fade to black as the protagonist wakes up.
 
We're challenging ourselves by going for a depressed and bittersweet feel, which as you said really isn't done much in VR because comedy is easier for the medium. We'll also be playing with fear of heights, of course. We know this is somewhat like a movie but since we're going for high concept we'd feel successful if we could just get the appropriate reactions from the audience.
 
For the interim world we aim to have finished the falling off the building in reverse sequence, which is one of the most powerful ones of the 3 or 4 we plan to do. The main script is done, voice actors and main songs are being procured, and animation/painting/modeling are all being done in parallel, so we're doing pretty well right now.