Supplementing documentary filmmaking with VR 

David Lasala coordinated logistics with Professor Lee. Andrew Stapp built a bespoke Unity 3D environment with atmospheric immersion, emphasizing minimalist landscapes and fluid motion. Additional elements included:

• A specific locomotion system allowed the subject, Kat, to navigate the virtual space as if walking, despite being in a wheelchair. This approach prioritized intuitive controls, allowing the user’s hands to “swing” for movement.

• The session was recorded at high resolution, with specialized features for scene development.

By using an immersive experience to demonstrate a virtual environment supporting storytelling, we also hoped to:

•  Examine the therapeutic potential of VR for people with paraplegia by testing simulated mobility solutions.

• Enable cinematic capture of VR immersion as part of a broader narrative about lived experience and rehabilitation.

• Align with NYU's commitments to accessibility and inclusive design

Anticipated Challenges and Mitigation Strategies:

• Designing for a user with unique mobility needs required specialized interface strategies. Hand swinging control was an alternative to more traditional controller-based locomotion systems.

• To offset potential shortcomings from the live capture session with Kat, the VR application was designed to allow Professor Lee to gather additional material post-shoot.

Outcomes: Project Reflections:

•  iTLAB - This project aligned with iTLAB’s want to explore the therapeutic possibilities of XR technologies. We value opportunities to support faculty in this area and were honored to collaborate with Professor Lee. It was a privilege to work with Kat, whose interaction with the Andrew’s custom virtual environment was moving and insightful. This project aligned with our core interest in XR's therapeutic possibilities.

• Toby Lee - Working with the iTLAB was a dream collaboration. The streamlined and seamless process yielded precisely the audiovisual material that I needed to complete my film. More importantly, Kat’s experience in the custom-built VR environment was deeply moving, and revealed the tremendous potential of such collaborations across creative practice, science, and technology.

Outcomes: Experience Reflections:

• Kat - I’d used VR once before, but this experience was completely different. I could walk by swinging my arms, not using a joystick, which felt surprisingly natural. As I got used to the controls, I began to notice a strange and incredible sensation—my legs and feet twitching, as if they were trying to walk. When I started running, the illusion deepened. When I stopped walking—the sensation disappeared. The walking and running felt real. I hadn’t walked in 10 years. This made me emotional. It felt like freedom.

Outcomes: Future Improvements:

• iTLAB - Given the project's aggressive timeline, we’re proud of the outcome. That said, the custom locomotion application was a prototype, and there are clear opportunities to enhance and expand it. With additional time and resources, a second version could introduce new features to deepen immersion, improve user interaction, and broaden its potential as a therapeutic application. We also see an opportunity for scalability, adapting the experience to support a wider range of users, settings, and research goals. 

• Toby - What David and Andrew accomplished in such a short period of time was truly impressive. It was clear to me how much promise lies in this work, and how much more could be achieved with additional funding, as well as increased facilitation of cross-school collaborations, e.g. through university-level working groups, showcases, or targeted grants.

• Kat - Having experienced what I did, I believe VR could be a valuable therapeutic tool for treating paraplegic patients, especially when combined with groundbreaking paralysis treatments like epidural stimulation. These approaches could reinforce each other. VR tools should be further developed for greater benefit—for example, translating small foot and leg movements (captured by sensors) into movement within the VR world.

What We Learned:

• The use of gesture-based controls enabled a participant with paraplegia to experience simulated walking.

• Bridging documentary filmmaking, therapeutic inquiry, and immersive technology generated powerful content.

• The VR environment’s stripped-down, atmospheric design avoided distraction and supported reflective engagement.

• A custom-developed capture solution provided valuable assets for the documentary and laid the foundation for future scene development and iterative storytelling.

The Future of Therapy Research At The iTLAB:

• Expand Therapeutic Use Cases: Collaborate with NYU partners to explore additional therapeutic practices utilizing XR, such as art therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

•  Enhance The Application: Further develop the custom locomotion application to enhance the user-experience. 

• Explore Impact Through Follow-Up: Reconnect with the documentary subject, Kat, and faculty partner Toby Lee to assess the longer-term impact of the VR experience. 

Acknowledgments:

Kat brought something irreplaceable to this project: the willingness to be genuinely vulnerable in an unfamiliar technology, in front of a camera, for a story still being written. Her experience inside the environment, and her candor in reflecting on it, gave the work something no amount of technical refinement could have produced. We are equally grateful to Professor Toby Lee, whose creative vision made space for that moment to exist.