A cinematic VR experience that resurrects the lost 1957 horror film Pontianak, blending extensive archival research with real-time storytelling to preserve a piece of cinematic history.
This room-scale VR project is a B-movie homage that digitally reconstructs a lost piece of Singaporean cinematic history: the 1957 horror film Pontianak. The film’s narrative was reconstructed from interviews, photos, and written accounts to create an immersive, real-time experience.
The story drops the viewer into a historic Singaporean-Malay kampong, where they witness a climactic encounter from the film. The lighting, sound design, and overall aesthetic are carefully tuned to invoke a tense and atmospheric experience.
To achieve a high level of realism, a hybrid motion capture pipeline was developed that combined Rokoko Studio for body animation, MotionBuilder for integration, and iClone for detailed facial capture. This allowed for high-fidelity character performances that bring the story to life, serving as a powerful example of how VR can be used for digital preservation.
