Through the simultaneous presence of graphically composed and materially existing elements, augmented reality (AR) offers ephemeral digital content that is the result of the momentary and, thus, unrepeatable alignment of a physical body and world and an AR system. Capturing the performative and embodied angles of screen-based AR through a combined film-analytical and cognitive lens, this paper focuses on how interfaces, content, and AR-manipulated bodies serve as apparatus for cinematic composition as well as storytelling and user engagement. Observing interactions with AR filters and backgrounds, we reflect on how users’ bodies and expressions that are mirrored on screen are translated into an immersive digital storyworld that exists in the temporal and spatial context of the AR experience and the related technology. AR filters and backgrounds’ affective quality, thus, lies in bodily control and in the creative act of choosing and moderating body characteristics, postures, and positions in real time in relation to the surrounding digitally manipulated or recorded environment. By moderating the representations of bodies and spaces as well as their interplay, AR users actively shape the visual composition of the on-screen space and, thereby, the visual narrative.

Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies offer unparalleled opportunities for embodied presence in immersive digital environments. While these platforms are primarily discussed regarding their technological capabilities for simulating fictional scenes or enabling interactions with virtual entities, their profound implications on storytelling and narrative comprehension remain underexplored. The narrative dimension is instrumental as factors like interactivity, stereoscopic displays, and user mobility define what details become available and in what sequence, generating each user's unique vantage point and experience. In order to address the limited theoretical and methodological accounts on immersive virtual storytelling, this special issue brings together multidisciplinary perspectives spanning engineering, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, and digital activism. With the proposed novel conceptual frameworks, technologies, applications, and inclusivity initiatives, the contributions examine immersive visual narratives in an expansive manner. Thereby, this special issue aims to provide a novel understanding of how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality platforms can be leveraged to craft and experience narratives in profoundly immersive ways. By providing insights into how immersive qualities transform narrative comprehension, this special issue advances our knowledge of the complex relationship between story, technology, and the human experience.

Cinematic virtual reality offers 360-degree moving image experiences that engage a viewer's body as its position defines the momentary perspective over the surrounding simulated space. While a 360-degree narrative space has been demonstrated to provide highly immersive experiences, it may also affect information intake and the recollection of narrative events. The present study hypothesizes that the immersive quality of cinematic VR induces a viewer's first-person perspective in observing a narrative in contrast to a camera perspective. A first-person perspective is associated with increase in emotional engagement, sensation of presence, and a more vivid and accurate recollection of information. To determine these effects, we measured viewing experiences, memory characteristics, and recollection accuracy of participants watching an animated movie either using a VR headset or a stationary screen. The comparison revealed that VR viewers experience a higher level of presence in the displayed environment than screen viewers and that their memories of the movie are more vivid, evoke stronger emotions, and are more likely to be recalled from a first-person perspective. Yet, VR participants can recall fewer details than screen viewers. Overall, these results show that while cinematic virtual reality viewing involves more immersive and intense experiences, the 360-degree composition can negatively impact comprehension and recollection.