Media

🎬 On-Screen Depictions of AR/XR

These are fictional or semi-realistic portrayals of AR/XR within the storyworld:

🔹 Augmented Reality Glasses & HUDs

• Iron Man (MCU) – Tony Stark’s Heads-Up Display (HUD) in the Iron Man helmet is a stylized AR interface.

• Minority Report – Gesture-based interfaces and virtual screens are iconic examples of spatial interaction.

• Black Mirror: “Playtest” & “Striking Vipers” – Both episodes explore VR/AR in gaming and its psychological effects.

• Ready Player One – While largely VR, characters also use AR contact lenses and full-body suits.

• Upload (Amazon Prime) – A mix of VR and AR interfaces are used by the living to interact with the digital afterlife.

• Westworld (S3–S4) – Mixed Reality glasses allow interaction with real and artificial layers.

• Her – Subtle AR earpieces and AI assistants present a minimalist version of ambient computing.

🔹 Contact Lenses & Implants

• Black Mirror: “The Entire History of You” – Memory-implant AR lenses replay and analyze life events.

• Strange Days – Early fictional version of XR via neural recordings and playback.

• Altered Carbon – AR overlays are everywhere, seen through cortical stacks or retinal implants.

🔹 XR in Training or Combat

• Ender’s Game – Military training via immersive simulations.

• The Matrix – A conceptual VR system so real it blurs reality.

• The Peripheral – Prime Video series featuring immersive XR, remote-controlled bodies, and mixed-reality worlds.

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🎥 Behind-the-Scenes XR/AR Technologies

These technologies are used during the production of film and TV:

🔸 Virtual Production (LED Walls & XR Stages)

• The Mandalorian (Disney+)

  • Uses StageCraft by ILM: massive LED volumes powered by Unreal Engine.

  • Real-time parallax and lighting matching via XR cameras.

• The Batman (2022)

  • Virtual cityscapes rendered in XR to reflect accurate lighting on the Batmobile.

• Obi-Wan Kenobi

  • Mixed-reality environments with LED wall extensions for immersive sets.

🔸 Previs / Techvis / Simulcam

• Used in Avatar (2009–2022) and The Jungle Book (2016)

  • XR tools allow directors to walk inside digital sets with virtual cameras.

• Simulcam (used by James Cameron) merges live-action and CGI elements in real time.

🔸 Augmented Reality in Production Tools

• AR in Set Design / Cinematography

  • AR tablets and headsets used by set designers to visualize props, CGI characters, or environment extensions.

  • Examples: Alita: Battle Angel, Avengers: Infinity War (for Thanos performance capture).

🔸 Performance Capture & VR Blocking

• VR tools used by directors (e.g., Steven Spielberg for Ready Player One) to block scenes in virtual spaces.

• Actors use motion capture suits combined with VR previews (used extensively in Avatar: The Way of Water).

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⚙️ Real AR/XR Products Featured in Media

Some shows depict or use real-world XR devices:

• Upload – Real HoloLens-like devices.

• Mythic Quest (Apple TV+) – Real VR dev tools and headsets used in production.

• The Peripheral – Uses designs inspired by Meta Quest and haptics from Teslasuit-type gear.