Smart glasses are not new – the first pair of smart glasses were created by Google in 2011, but Google Glass in 2013 began to open people’s eyes to the potential the tech held.
Fast forward ten years and smart glasses are a mainstream reality, with many pairs already on the market that offer different benefits. From live streaming to listening to music, smart glasses are bulging with, as yet, untapped potential. But could they impact the film industry?
Few industries have been hit quite as hard by new tech as the cinema and film industry. Netflix and other streaming services have ensured people can get blockbuster movies in their own homes, and that’s led to a downturn in cinema audiences across the UK. Indeed, around 117 million people attended the cinema in the best post-COVID figures, but prior to lockdowns, up to 180 million went.
Much of that is down to streaming and accessibility, but could numbers be impacted more by smart glasses? Or, could the emerging tech actually help the cinema industry?
Film Making
The modern world has made everyone a creator – even influencers on Instagram are creating content that other people watch and absorb. That’s all filmmaking is, albeit on a much larger scale. In the past, to make a film, one would need expensive equipment, cameras, lighting, and the like. However, smart glasses give the option of simply allowing you to film wherever you are.
As an example, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have a built-in camera that allows you to live stream and film. Don’t worry about invading privacy; there’s a red light that comes on now, so you know if you’re being filmed. Now, there’s nothing to stop the next Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez getting out in the woods and making an atmospheric, first-person Blair-Witch-style movie.
It was a huge box office success; who is to say smart glasses won’t facilitate something similar in the future? All you’ll need is your Ray-Bans and a strong imagination.
Film Watching
Film watching could certainly be disrupted by smart glasses, but not necessarily to its detriment. Those who remember the 3D phenomenon will recall big hits such as Avatar in 2009 that were marketed as being 3D movies rather than just movies. Viewed through 3D glasses, Avatar, in particular, was more than just a film; it was an experience, and smart glasses could facilitate exactly the same.
Leveraging augmented reality (AR), smart glasses could open doors for directors to be more creative. Smart glasses like the NReal Air AR can project media from Android or Mac onto a virtual 200-inch screen via the glasses.
Any concerns filmmakers might have about having to shoot for a limited screen size would be removed, giving more creative freedom. It also means cinema-sized screens on the go for fans of movies; think about how you could watch a full-feature film on a plane without being restricted to their choice or having to worry about squinting at your phone screen.
Augmented Reality
We’ve mentioned AR, and it is this realm that is both full of potential and very hypothetical right now. AR is where the virtual world and real world are mixed, as with the game Pokemon Go. It allowed people to hunt Pokemon in their local vicinity, and AR could be used to watch a play in your living room, with the actors seemingly in front of your eyes.
It could also be used to enhance a ‘normal’ movie. You could watch the latest Marvel movie but use AR to access information about characters, plots, and the like during the showing. It could be used to create graphics you could opt into or out of during a film, creating a whole new experience for the moviegoers.