I decided to research the effects of the two most common Hallucinogens used in Australia. LSD (Lysergic Acid di-ethyl amide) and Psilocybin. Hallucinogens are very immersive, and I wanted to know if we could apply similar effect to these substances to create more immersive media.
I’ve decided to use the journal article to describe the effects of these drugs, called
“A Comparative Review of the Neuro-Psychopharmacology of Hallucinogen-Induced Altered States of Consciousness: The Uniqueness of Some Hallucinogens” by Sayin, Umit. NeuroQuantology; Bornova Izmir”
LSD (Lysergic Acid di-ethyl amide): When consuming between 80-150 micrograms of LSD, colours become very vivid, and it takes the human brain and mind on an unexplainable “journey” which lasts 7-8 hours. The text refers to the 3 dominant changes in perception with the use of LSD are Visual, Acoustic, Tactile and Body perception. Overall, the common trait that they share is a sense of amplification of that sense. “Sounds may seem to be more profound… Music may become unbelievably deep and philosophical.” And “the tactile sensations may become extremely vivid. When eyes are closed different geometric images, geometrical self-repeating figures of coloured fractals… Kaleidoscopic images are very commonly perceived during LSD use.” Visual patterns are reported multiple times throughout the article, and could very much contribute to an immersive experience. The human brain has evolved to have pattern recognition, and there’s obviously a sense of satisfaction when a pattern is found.
Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”) Psilocybin is similar to LSD in the fact that it creates a colourful images, and can induce visual patterns. But a dominant notable difference is that Psilocybin induces a more of a narrative throughout the experience or ‘trip’. The journal defines it as a feeling of “touching and unifying with a higher reality”, auditory hallucinations, a dreamy state, “switching between the worlds”
When picking an immersive footage for PB2, we found that the majority of the class picked the video containing the most colour, and half of the class argued that they enjoyed the song with a voice, as it implied that the piece had a narrative. A hypothesis to what makes Hallucinogen consumption such an immersive experience is its ability to overwhelm its user with a range of stimulant effects, and the want to establish a pattern or narrative within it. People lose interest if they are given all the story and information at once, so they need to be given enough information but not too much, so that they’re left curious, and constantly seeking new information.
Alex Grey was an artist who was inspired by the effects of LSD and other Hallucinogenic drugs, and the paintings he drew were often very symmetrical, reinforcing the idea that the experiences are captivating because of pattern recognition. Here are a few examples of his works.
How can we apply this information to media production?
The described experiences were immersive because they…
- Overwhelm several senses simultaneously
- Convey the possibility of an alluring narrative, but one that wasn’t instantly understood.
- Allow the user to recognise patterns that they otherwise wouldn’t.
We can apply this to media by producing film and audio that…
- Periodically is rich with colour or volume, followed with the contrary.
- Doesn’t instantly give away a clear narrative or message.
- Has visual patterns such as the rule of thirds, and audio patterns like beats time signatures.
An example of patterns in film is within scenes from the Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson: