Decode l0ve
Decode l0ve is a VR film I produced that explores dating in a not-so-distant future. The idea emerged from conversations with my friends. Although we walk past hundreds of people on campus every day, it still feels difficult to truly get to know someone.
Many of us turn to social media or dating apps to meet new people—but what are the actual chances of falling in love online? How does digital media affect our emotions?
Decode l0ve was presented at the 62nd Ann Arbor Film Festival and AMPLIFY: 2024 Digital Studies Showcase. Viewers experienced the work immersively through a VR headset, while an alternative YouTube version provided accessible viewing for a broader audience.
Loneliness is a feeling most of us experience at some point in our lives. In the VR film, I imagine a character who falls in love with someone he meets online.
But is this person real? What do emojis, messages, and digital gestures of love actually mean? Within an imagined, hallucinatory world, the viewer gradually uncovers the truth about who this person really is.
For the visual creation, I designed several 3D models in Unity and sourced additional assets from Sketchfab and the Unity Asset Store, modifying them to fit the narrative. I used Mixamo for character animation and animated the camera movement to weave together scenes that blur the boundaries between reality and digital intimacy.
Credits
Director & Creator: Naomi Zheng
Advisor: Yvette Granata
Software: Unity, SketchFab, Mixamo