The Dark VR — Immersive Music Video Experience

CATEGORY

TIMELINE

2 months

INDUSTRY

Entertainment

TOOLS

Figma, Adobe Creative Suites, Unreal Engine

CONTEXT

The Dark VR is a mixed-reality music video experience created by Departure Lounge in collaboration with Monstercat for electronic artist WHIPPED CREAM. Directed by Will Selviz, the project explores the emotional tension of a toxic relationship through an immersive audiovisual narrative. The experience draws inspiration from the metaphor of picking up a rose—beautiful at first glance, yet capable of causing harm. This theme guided both the visual language and interaction design, inviting viewers to step inside the artist’s creative mind and experience the music in an intimate, emotional way. The project launched as a teaser at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), expanded into a 2D music video, and ultimately evolved into a fully immersive VR experience premiered at SXSW 2023. The project contributed to "Someone You Can Count On" receiving a Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) BOLD Award.

The Dark VR is a mixed-reality music video experience created by Departure Lounge in collaboration with Monstercat for electronic artist WHIPPED CREAM. Directed by Will Selviz, the project explores the emotional tension of a toxic relationship through an immersive audiovisual narrative. The experience draws inspiration from the metaphor of picking up a rose—beautiful at first glance, yet capable of causing harm. This theme guided both the visual language and interaction design, inviting viewers to step inside the artist’s creative mind and experience the music in an intimate, emotional way. The project launched as a teaser at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), expanded into a 2D music video, and ultimately evolved into a fully immersive VR experience premiered at SXSW 2023. The project contributed to "Someone You Can Count On" receiving a Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) BOLD Award.

The Dark VR is a mixed-reality music video experience created by Departure Lounge in collaboration with Monstercat for electronic artist WHIPPED CREAM. Directed by Will Selviz, the project explores the emotional tension of a toxic relationship through an immersive audiovisual narrative. The experience draws inspiration from the metaphor of picking up a rose—beautiful at first glance, yet capable of causing harm. This theme guided both the visual language and interaction design, inviting viewers to step inside the artist’s creative mind and experience the music in an intimate, emotional way. The project launched as a teaser at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), expanded into a 2D music video, and ultimately evolved into a fully immersive VR experience premiered at SXSW 2023. The project contributed to "Someone You Can Count On" receiving a Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) BOLD Award.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

As part of the Departure Lounge team, I was responsible for shaping the end-to-end user experience of the VR piece. I designed the menu systems, interactions, and user flow, working closely with the Art Director, developers, and production team to ensure the VR experience aligned with the music video’s narrative and emotional pacing. I also collaborated during the SXSW VR submission process and created promotional materials, including a collaborative project logo. This was my first project working in Unreal Engine, requiring rapid learning and close collaboration with engineers to adapt designs to technical constraints.

Systems Overview:

VR Navigation & Menus ✏︎ Designed in-world menus and interaction flows that felt natural within the environment ✏︎ Focused on minimal, distraction-free UI to keep attention on the music and narrative Narrative-Aligned User Journey ✏︎ Structured the experience to follow the emotional arc of the song ✏︎ Ensured transitions, interactions, and pacing supported immersion rather than interrupting it Interaction Design & User Testing ✏︎ Explored hand-based interaction concepts early in development ✏︎ Iterated designs through multiple rounds of user testing ✏︎ Simplified controls to a single trigger input to support first-time VR users Visual Integration ✏︎ Adapted assets from the 2D music video into the VR space ✏︎ Collaborated with t Art Director and Engineer to maintain visual and narrative consistency across formats

Outcome & Learnings:

The Dark VR was successfully completed and showcased at major international festivals, receiving strong recognition from both industry and audiences. 🤩 Key Outcomes: ★ Premiered at SXSW 2023, following initial showcase at VIFF ★ Contributed to a CIMA BOLD Award–winning project ★ Delivered a polished immersive experience within a 2-month production timeline 💡Lessons Learned: ★ Designing within technical constraints: Some visually ambitious ideas (e.g. glass-like UI materials) were revised after discussion with developers due to Unreal Engine limitations ★ User focus over “cool” ideas: Hand gesture interactions were removed after testing revealed they distracted users from the music experience ★ ALWAYS Designing for first-time VR users: Despite assumptions, most SXSW users were new to VR, reinforcing the value of simple, intuitive interaction design ★ Start simple, then layer complexity: A minimal control scheme allowed users to focus on emotion and storytelling rather than mechanics This project deepened my understanding of immersive UX, VR interaction design, and collaborative production under tight timelines, while reinforcing the importance of user-centered decision-making in experimental mediums.