by Richard L. Farthy
OLIVER: It's my pleasure.
RICHARD: Well, I have to tell you I experienced "Huns" yesterday, and I'm still shaking.
OLIVER: (laughs) Good! To me that's the highest praise. Were you a Hun or a Roman?
RICHARD: I was a Roman, a soldier.
OLIVER: Interesting. Most people I've talked to were Huns.
RICHARD: I wanted to see how balanced the story was.
OLIVER: Of course. You are a critic.
RICHARD:(laughs) I try. I was hoping to be a Hun right after I went through as a Roman, but I needed a breather.
OLIVER: You're going to have to wait a while. I hear the participant rooms are booked throughout Genesis.
RICHARD: I know. How does it feel to bump every other currently running VRAD?
OLIVER: It's very exciting, especially since "Huns" is such a radical departure from my usual fare.
RICHARD: Oh, I don't know about that. There were more than a few conspiracies going on behind Atilla's back.
OLIVER: (laughs) True, but this was historical perspective.
RICHARD: Are you afraid you'll lose your title of "Conspiracy Theorist"?
OLIVER:(laughs) No. I'm afraid I'm stuck with that tag for life.
RICHARD: Back to "Huns". I loved the way you phased scenes, it was subtle, but the participant knew what was going on.
OLIVER: I don't really like straight cuts. They work great for the old movies, but in a VRAD their disorientating. You really need a strong sense of continuity when you're participating.
RICHARD: I noticed you were using a number of live actors for "Huns". That's really a departure from you last three AI only VRADs.
OLIVER: And I think "Huns" is that much better for it. AIs are great for consistency, but for true emotion, I'll take a human actor any day. Were you able to tell the other participants from the AIs?
RICHARD: Usually. They all had that same lost look like I did.
OLIVER: (laughs) It takes about fifteen minutes to settle into your role. You said you were a Roman. Did you age or did you set your options to jump bodies?
RICHARD: I jumped. I age enough in real life.
OLIVER: (laughs, pats his stomach) Me too. And grow too.
RICHARD: I have to tell you I loved the scene between the Pope and Attila. You were never really sure if Attila was going to attack after that or not.
OLIVER: I like to maintain a level of suspense throughout the experience.
RICHARD: So what's next after "Huns"?
OLIVER: A vacation.
RICHARD: And then?
OLIVER:(laughs) More vacation. "Huns" took me two straight years. I need some time off.
RICHARD: Well, enjoy it. You deserve it.
OLIVER: Thanks.
RICHARD: Thank you.