new to experience and it’s how we really started to craft our own stories. Then, as more and more people started to have a VR set at home, it began to become easier to distribute our experiences. The first big project was one we didn’t realise would be significant until later. We filmed inside Notre-Dame cathedral about three months before the fire. When the cathedral was destroyed, we had incredible images of how it was before. We realised that VR was a powerful medium to capture and allow people to time travel. The second key project was on cities during lockdown, because we realised that these were historically significant moments. Tokyo, Paris and Jerusalem were all completely empty, and we felt we had to film that. VR was the only way we could capture the true essence of those completely empty cities. Those two documentaries got Primetime Emmy nominations back in 2020 – and that’s where it started to get bigger and bigger. We’ve done a lot of productions since then. Our main goal with Targo is to create stories and artistic experiences everyone wants to watch, similar to something you might find on Netflix. Accessibility to everyone is our main focus.
What are some of the main ingredients for creating a compelling immersive story?
There are no rules – it΄s a blank page where you can write anything you want
At Targo, we create two kinds of experiences. The first ones are the immersive videos – 360° or 180° videos. The other kind are real-time experiences, and for these we aim for photorealism, which can be challenging with VR headsets because we are trying to utilise photogrammetry and laser scans. When you’ve got a VR headset, you’re limited with resources you can use in real time. So it’s tricky, but it’s very interesting too. What I like when using these kinds of technologies is that there are no rules – it’s like a blank page where you can write anything you want, which is key as a creator. Choosing the right topic is definitely the first thing you need to focus on when you are a VR or immersive creator. Not all topics work – some work better for podcasts, TV or a website – and they don’t
need to be made in VR because then it can become a gimmick in some way. A lot of other experiences have been produced without necessarily thinking specifically about what the technology is actually bringing to the topic, and as a result VR’s reputation can suffer somewhat. I think the second aspect is that VR is really powerful in connecting you with people. All of our documentaries are history-based, focusing on one story or interviewee that’s lived through incredible stories. What it does manage is to create empathy – they become a proxy for the experience. They are the ones that take your hand and bring you inside those highly visual environments. Comfort is also really important, being careful with movement when guiding the viewer through the experience, using specific storytelling tools and editing techniques. What are some of your favourite projects you΄ve worked on, and why? Behind the Dish was very interesting. It’s a series about three female chefs in Japan, the US and France. We look at their careers as female chefs
BEFORE YOUR EYES ( Above) Image from inside a VR office; (top right) image from Targo’s documentary telling the story of a 9/11 survivor
SERVING UP (Left) Behind the Dish looks at the lives of female sushi chefs in a male-dominated industry; (right) Rochereuil with a VR headset
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