The Immersive 5 with Terence Leclere of #metaforyou

Terence Leclere is no stranger to the LA immersive scene, having acting credits in many of the major productions in the last decade. Yet that’s not the only place immerive audiences have encountered him.

As the founder of #metaforyou, a company that provides immersive interactive services via talent, content, and consultation, he and his team have popped up around the country in activations for brands such as Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, Spotify, Paramount Pictures, Peacock, Freeform and more.

With a view from multiple angles on the industry, we invited Terence to answer The Immersive 5.

The Immersive 5 series asks creators across the various immersive disciplines the same five questions in search of both their approach to crafting work, and the elusive nature of immersive work itself.

NO PROSCENUM: What does “immersive” mean to you, and what terms do you use when talking about your own work?

Terence Leclere: I feel like the word “immersive” has become a catchall term for any activity that directs you to be present in the moment, aware of where you are and what is happening around you. This seems to be the common thread woven into anything called immersive, whether it be asking for a passive presence, like wandering through a digital environment, or an active presence, like participating in a narrative and making choices that affect its storyline. Although it could totally be said that all art is for you to understand this moment right now, vying for your attention to be present, in the case of immersive works the main point is to be present in order to enter and experience the creation.

I feel this is especially true when incorporating immersive persons (actors) who can act as facilitators for the audience’s experience in becoming present. There is something truly magical in human accountability, how it allows for audiences to immerse themselves deeper by following the lead of someone already there swimming in the moment-to-moment manufactured reality — NPCs in the audience’s quest to be present in the moment.

NP: What should every creator be thinking about first and foremost when designing for the audience?

TL: The audience. That’s who they’re designing this for. Part of our consulting with #metaforyou is always bringing it back to the audience/player experience and how to help guide them through to where the client wants them to ultimately end up. We point out “immersive blindspots” like the fact that (usually) the audience has not read the script so it can be easy to succumb to the curse of knowledge — unless you think first and foremost about what it’s like for your audience to immerse themselves in your creation. On one hand, you may learn how they won’t pick up on the intricate details you’ve hidden throughout, and on the other hand, you may gain insight that people are drawn to a part that you thought was unimportant, but it’s actually the hook of your song. It’s meta (for you), but you must first immerse yourself in your audience’s experience of your event, then align it with what made you excited about having someone experience it in the first place.

With that being said, we’ve also got the unique distinction of being an “immersive actor run” company, so we inherently understand what it takes to be on the frontlines of these shows and experiences and apply this knowledge throughout the process of working with our clients on various events. Creators: care for your actors and listen to their feedback. They are the ones connecting person to person with your audience, and their interactions as the cornerstone touchpoints of your audience’s experience are ultimately the beating heart of your event.

NP: What did you wish you knew when you were starting out and what’s the one thing you’d tell a creator starting out today?

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TL: Ultimately, this work is about giving the audience a chance for them to be the main character of their story. Everything that can be done to make it more about that will give your audience an amazing experience. It’s a practice in empathy and supportive storytelling. Also, as a performer, don’t be afraid of opening up both by both shining and being vulnerable when connecting with your audience; this will give them permission to do so as well, making the experience potentially life-changing for you both.

For actors performing in immersive: learn to meet the audience where they are and ease them into the immersive magic you are making. Otherwise, you may scare away audiences who are used to the buttressed illusionary safety of the fourth wall, like in this article.

And above all, please, be kind — to yourself and others. You’re creating worlds and leading each other in imaginary universes, rocking the very fabric of our fragile realities. The most profound power and glue we have to keep it all together is kindness. Use it generously and abundantly.

NP: Why do this kind of work and not craft something for a more traditional medium, be it a novel, play, film, or game?

TL: If your story can be told as a novel, traditional play, film, or TV show, it should be! Many audiences are used to and prefer these “traditional” forms of entertainment, where they sit back and consume or freefall into their own imaginations. Games are inherently more interactive, asking the audience to play. Immersive works encourage audiences to be present and start to play with deeper meanings of existence within our bodies and our senses as we discover the imaginary reality we create within the outside world we live in. It dances closely to how we as humans learn and live: by experiencing situations, emotions, life. With it, you have the opportunity to communicate your story on a more visceral level. On that note, some stories do lend themselves to keeping audiences safe behind that buttressed fourth wall, so choose wisely.

NP: What inspirations — and anything is fair game here — are currently shaping your creative practice?

TL: My mom is a healer and introduced me to the New Age world while I was still in my teens, which led me to explore meditation, knowledge of presence, questioning reality, and poetry, all mixed in with music and acting philosophies about creating moment-to-moment realities, along with the joy, play, and discovery of improvisation. These have always been my main inspirations for this work, and continue to grow evergreen within me.

My wife will attest that, when out walking, I’ll often look at mysterious looking buildings or nooks in nature and point to them and say, “Immersive!” So I’d say I’m also consistently inspired by environments and how to activate them (activating spaces in clever immersive ways also happens to be a service provided by #metaforyou). Observing interpersonal social dynamics, i.e. people watching, is also a fantastic source of ideas for immersive interactive storytelling.

Often, inspiration comes from people being vulnerable and opening up, creating a space that says, “This matters; this is important,” or, “This means something to me.” These guiding lights all lead to the only place where any of us truly exist: the here and now, with you reading this, and me saying thanks.

Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, new home of NoPro’s show listings.

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