Virtual Storytelling; Using Virtual Reality Technologies for Storytelling

In September 2001, we organized the 1st International Conference on Virtual Sto- telling in Avignon, France. This was the ?rst international scienti?c event entirely - voted to the new discipline that links the ancient human art of storytelling to the latest high technologies of the Virtual Reality era. Since this date, technology has not slowed its course. We all know that personal computers are even more powerful, but there have been huge advances in graphics boards.These arenowprogrammableandcan renderin realtime hugequantitiesof data as well as special effectsthat until recently requireda dedicatedgraphicssuperworks- tion. Applications that were in the research lab have now come to market. 3D Virtual Humans, the heroes of today's video games, are taking their ?rst steps on e-business Web sites. These will be the stars of tomorrow. New topics are being intensively - searched, especially, mixed and enhanced realities - the art of combining synthesized with real worlds. This evolution raises many technical, applicational, artistic and even ethical qu- tions.Theoccasionofthe2ndInternationalConferenceonVirtualStorytellingprovided an excellentopportunityto onceagaingatherresearchersfromthe scienti? c, artistic and industrialcommunitiestodemonstratenewmethodsandtechniques.Thiswasthevenue to show the latest results, and exchange concepts and ideas about the use of Virtual - ality technologiesfor creating, populating,renderingand interactingwith stories, wh- ever their form, be it theatre, movie, cartoon, advertisement, puppet show, multimedia work, video games, etc.