Warning! the following article contains MASSIVE spoilers for the 2016 United States presidential election. If you’re waiting to watch the DVRed results or hoping for some last minute time traveler intervention then you have been warned.
The 2016 US presidential election was…intense. Regardless of which horse you backed, the race is over and Donald Trump is the winner. Our task now is to pick up the pieces of a divided nation and hopefully unite through the pursuit of a more successful, safe, and empathetic future. As with most things, virtual reality can help with that, and legendary Simpsons voice actor Harry Shearer (Principal Skinner, Flanders, Smithers, etc.) is on the case.
Shearer, along with innovative new visual effects studio MacInnes Scott, has already produced an animated short parodying the now infamous first meeting between President-Elect Trump and sitting president Barack Obama. Check it out:
https://youtu.be/8JI0IzHsG7M
This 150 second click, photorealistic clip was created in remarkable time using MacInnes Scott unique approach to 3D graphics. Through the relatively experimental process known as “photogrammetry” the studio uses thousands of high resolution photos to build a highly accurate digital model. These avatars can then be rigged, animated and voiced far quicker than traditional computer animation typically allows for.
Shearer is reportedly working to convert this piece into a virtual reality experience as well. This is a sign of encouragement for the new medium of VR. Comedians and content makers have likely been sharpening their blades since the election results were finalized, preparing to get everything they can out of the next four Trump-filled years. It’s therefore significant to see VR being cited as a platform of interest, alongside comedic mainstays like YouTube, by our modern day jesters.
This is not the first time Trump will appear in a VR experience and, as the months go by, it will almost certainly not be the last.
