Welcome to the Metaverse

Description

Welcome to the Metaverse is a satirical documentary presented through augmented reality face filter technology, where participants are guided through a fictional onboarding into “The Metaverse”. It explores the use of facial recognition, artificial intelligence, and the big corporations that drive these developments.

The docu-story is written and directed by documentary filmmaker, Brett Gaylor, as a follow-up experiment to his interactive web doc Discriminator (https://www.discriminator.film) that premiered at the Tribeca Festival in 2021. In this new incarnation, Gaylor teamed up with Hololabs to explore whether AR face filters, such as those used in Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat mobile apps could be a vehicle for documentary film and storytelling. The project was commissioned by the Victoria Film Festival in 2022, with posters for the experience located throughout the festival venues and presented on-screen before each of the festival’s films. Participants scan a QR code on the poster to launch the experience within their Facebook or Instagram apps, and are then guided through a series of fact-filled and humorous activities, where they learn about the opportunities (and perils?) of the Metaverse.

Try the Experience

Step 1

Scan one of the QR codes with your phone to launch the experience in either Instagram:

or Facebook:

(or use one of the buttons if you’re already using your device).

Step 2

Make sure the camera is looking at you, turn up the volume, and tap to start!

Bonus

If you flip your camera around (double-tap the screen), look for the pink “Resist the Metaverse” poster to see some extra content. Hint: there’s one below.