Storytelling in Virtual Environments

Larry Tuch is a screenwriter and creative consultant, applying techniques of Hollywood- style story telling and entertainment to new media and "immersive environments." He has worked as a writer and interactive designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, and as head writer and co-designer for the Paramount Television Group's StoryDrive Engine Project which focused on interactive story telling in a simulation environment. His most cutting-edge work has been in the field of virtual reality where, in addition to his work for Disney, he has scripted and co-designed VR scenarios for the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. Presented in a virtual reality theatre with surround sound, these scenarios are variously enabled by a host of technologies including artificial intelligence and speech recognition. His current projects include an internet game prototype for Paramount and an interactive simulation for the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara.