Welcome to Starjourn, a narrative experiment at the intersection of traditional animation and immersive digital media. Rooted in the visual language of classic 2D films. This project reimagines storytelling as a participatory experience. Where the audience doesn’t just watch the narrative unfold, they help shape it. 

Starjourn explores how interactive structures, real-time feedback, and motion design converge to create emotionally resonant, agency-driven stories. Explore behind-the-scenes captures of live audience responses to technical deep dives into spatial storytelling. The project investigates how immersion transforms both the message and the medium. 

It’s part case study, part prototype. Built to challenge assumptions about narrative control, perspective, and presence in virtual spaces. 

The question at the heart of Starjourn: what happens when the viewer becomes the protagonist?

Creating immersive media, especially in VR, comes with its own set of challenges beyond just technical:

• Rendering high-fidelity visuals within the constraints of headset hardware 

• Redefining linear storytelling for experiential formats

• Reimagining the artist’s role from director to engagement architect

At the heart of immersive storytelling is a paradox: the more compelling the narrative, the more control the creator must be willing to give up. Starjourn embraces that tension. It explores how to build a world where the user isn’t just present, they’re the protagonist, driven by a story that listens, reacts, and evolves.

The practical, sleeves rolled up, challenge? Designing a responsive environment where every user decision becomes a meaningful thread in a story uniquely their own.

Starjourn takes on the challenge of merging narrative structure with real-time audience engagement. Crafting immersive experiences that are both emotionally resonant and narratively coherent. 

It investigates the tensions between traditional cinematic storytelling and interactive, participant-driven narratives. How do you maintain momentum when the story branches? What happens to pacing when agency is placed in the hands of the audience? Starjourn tackles these questions head-on, navigating complex design challenges like time perception, player-driven agency, and visual framing within 360° environments. 

Set aboard a richly detailed space station, the project weaves environmental storytelling into every corner. The setting itself becomes a narrative engine. This isn’t just a story you watch. It’s one you live through. 

In Starjourn’s immersive world, Unreal Engine’s real-time engine turns every scene into a responsive, living environment. Designed far beyond the static backdrops of traditional film. The environment and architecture guide interactions through purposeful visual cues, using colour, lighting, and motion to signal where attention and actions are requested intuitively. It’s visual storytelling designed to be felt as much as seen. 

Character creation blends digital precision with human nuance. Character Creator, facial motion capture, and performances retain the emotional depth of live actors while maintaining the flexibility of a real-time pipeline. 

Inspired by the narrative craftsmanship of early cinema. Starjourn reimagines the artist’s role for the immersive age, less director and more world-builder. Through character design, spatial storytelling, and intuitive interfaces, participants are invited to move through the narrative as protagonists, not passive viewers. This approach doesn’t just tell a story, it transforms how stories are lived in virtual reality.