It’s been almost a week since I killed Altair.
It’s too much. A little longer, and we’d all find ourselves purring over a bowl of milk.
I’ve just received a list of all the objections to Altair’s success. I asked for a study to get all these objections. I must be a masochist.
It’s actually quite interesting. Here they are:
1 – A theatre doesn’t really make money: that’s absolutely right. In fact, that’s precisely what motivates the work we’re doing right now. It does not have to be. It is a series of non-decisions that have created this.
2 – VR doesn’t work well at all, nobody can sell the helmets and the market doesn’t go: that’s even more true. That’s exactly what I’m interested in. VR doesn’t work, because the content sucks. We offer not only content, but experiences … unforgettable.
3 – VR doesn’t work, because people are isolated. – This is always true. That’s why I used my brain. We have some “Group VR” in stock that will be quite funky.
4 – VR is a niche market, which is not developed. That’s why the first one to develop wins. The others will follow.
5 – Motion capture is expensive in material and qualified personnel: that’s always true. I never said that Altair costs nothing in investment.
6 – A theatre will not make money with the capture motion, because it is not the producer of the show. That’s why Altair Twin is a virtual show production company. I’m not that stupid, though.
In fact, this is part of the skills that need to be put in place in the first place: production contracts for this kind of content.
7 – You have to get close to “technology clusters” – no.
8 – The motion capture is very heavy from an artistic point of view: you have to do several shots, and take time for the actors to adapt etc: you’ll have to make them come longer, pay them for the performance: it will be too expensive.
This is almost a valid argument.
But it’s only a question of taking 5 minutes – at most – of a show – the 5 minutes of the teaser if you want.
So, no, there is no extra time. – I’m talking about working with excellent professionals. Not with actors who just do motion capture to end the month. Their movements, they have them all over their bodies. That’s something I trust more in the companies’ artistic directors than I do in outsiders.
Besides, why do you think I get tired of imagining links between creators? As long as they don’t know each other, as long as they don’t invent shows for both universes, we’ll stick to striking extracts – and that will be an excellent start.
As for the technology… it’s getting better every day. I contacted in March a company that does motion capture without equipment.
So, yes,we need all the technical staff you need for film production: for the editing of the shots, it’s obvious.
9 – selling or renting simple motion to video game companies: it didn’t work – so it won’t work. And you need staff to manage these files.
Staff, I know.
The rest… has to be worked on, it’s called commerce.
10 – video games don’t need artistic type movements, it’s too precise. It’s because it’s very precise that it has a chance to work better than #9.
11 – Video games don’t have shows and they order content. Not the other way around.
This was true until February 2019.
In February 2019, Epic Games is giving a live concert in Fortnite. Millions of players are there for the 10-minutes show. More than 10 millions people.
So much so that there will be more live shows.
Fortnite is a ‘battle royal’: they don’t normally do live shows.
To stay “normal” is… losing the game in this universe.
That’s what allowed me to get Ubisoft’s ear from last summer. – This objection was made by a man who produces content for games – but who is not there to offer it.
So either I’m out of my mind, or these objections are unfounded.
They are based on two major errors and a “lack of knowledge”:
- the idea that Altair remains a theatre that will outsource the whole virtual part > because not doing so means investing in equipment and skilled personnel. And that costs money.
To make money, you’re going to have to invest: I didn’t feel like I invented hot water when I said that.
Indeed, if Altair outsources everything, it won’t get much back. But this? It’s obvious, isn’t it? - the idea that Altair is going to depend on video games.
No, the link with video games is to make ourselves known.
It’s to draw players and gamers to the Altair Twin site, where they’ll have virtual experiences
It’s to become a partner with these companies – not a subcontractor waiting for orders. - the lack of knowledge of what has become of the very big online video games: for that you need to have played, to know the players, and to know on which naughty forums they share their impressions, their desires and their disappointments.
So yes, the big objection is: to set up a monster that is both a theatre and a virtual production company: Altair / Altair Twin.
It’s expensive.
Well, at least I got confirmation of some news:
The video game market is constantly expanding (thanks Newzoo, I saw that too)
People would be willing to test VR if it was interesting (but what a question!!!)
People don’t go to a theatre because it’s far away, expensive and maybe boring.
They’d watch a show in a VR, see what you see.
I don’t know what to think of this study.
But it shows me something fundamental: it is based on the feelings of technical motion capture professionals, who know nothing about the world of live performance and not much about the world of online gaming. All are French – excellent for putting you in a defined box
There won’t be any competition for Altair in the near future. Not as long as each professional field is so ignorant of the skills and expectations of the others.
The best objection at the end : most importantly, the money is earned online.
Thus, a theatre, as it doesn’t make money on the net, it doesn’t make money at all.
I’m not commenting.
Altair is not a theatre. Altair is a monster.
Am I gonna cry ? Not this time.
ALTAIR - Concepts 