Virtual reality is creating a whole-new perspective on film making, from conceptualization to consumption. Hollywood has portrayed the science fiction technology for decades, but now it’s real-world adoption offers immersion into film worlds like never before.

In 2018, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg will bring Ernest Cline’s novel Ready Player One to the big screen. While the on-screen story is fictional, Spielberg hopes that someday, it won’t be.

“We’re never going to be totally immersive as long as we’re looking at a square, whether it’s a movie screen or whether it’s a computer screen,” Spielberg said on a 2013 panel for the future of entertainment at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. “We’ve got to get rid of that and we’ve got to put the player inside the experience, where no matter where you look you’re surrounded by a three-dimensional experience. That’s the future.”

VR filmmaking is still in its infancy, leaving the trail wide open to be blazed by anyone brave enough to do so. Independent filmmakers are answering the call for innovation, and the Tribeca Film Festival this year introduced a showcase of VR experiences across the world.

Thanks to VR, directors are able to step inside massive set environments before they’re built. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first to utilize this technology.

The film’s writer, Gary Whitta, described the experience to AListDaily. “The director and I would walk inside the rebel base in virtual reality and he would say things like, ‘Can we make this corridor a little bit longer?’ Or ‘can we make sure that this wall can pop off so we can shoot it from the side with the camera?’ And they would say ‘yes.’ So we walked around the set of the film before it was built, which was incredible.”

Of course, VR content means a potential for VR advertising, as well. Branded VR and 360-degree content has become a common means for film promotion, and often uses the same actors, sets and CGI assets for continuity. Such was the case for Suicide Squad 360, Alien Covenant: In Utero and The Mummy: Zero Gravity Stunt VR.

In a study testing the effectiveness of marketing in VR, brand recall was at least eight times more effective and resulted in double the intent to share.

The fact that Netflix is the most-used VR app shows that consumers are willing to watch videos in a virtual environment. As with traditional TV, this holds tremendous potential for traditional advertising.